Good Morning POU!
Your Arms Too Short to Box with God: A Soaring Celebration in Song and Dance is a Broadway musical based on the Biblical Book of Matthew, with music and lyrics by Alex Bradford and a book by Vinnette Carroll, who also directed. Micki Grant was credited for “additional music and lyrics.”
Theme song from the musical, YOUR ARMS TOO SHORT TO BOX WITH GOD. Delores Hall, lead.
The phrase first appeared in James Weldon Johnson‘s novel, “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man,” which he attributed to a preacher named John Brown. Describing this powerful preacher, he wrote, “He struck the attitude of a pugilist and thundered out, ‘Young man, yo’ arm’s too short to box wid God!’”
Later James Weldon Johnson used it in his poem “The Prodigal Son,” which was published in his 1927 book of poems God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse. The passage — which likewise refers to an arm (singular) rather than arms (plural) — reads:
Young man—
Young man—
Your arm’s too short to box with God.But Jesus spake in a parable, and he said:
A certain man had two sons.
Jesus didn’t give this man a name,
But his name is God Almighty.
And Jesus didn’t call these sons by name,
But ev’ry young man,
Ev’rywhere,Is one of these two sons.
Delores Hall won the 1977 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Carroll earned Tony nominations for Best Book of a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical, with Talley Beatty nominated for Best Choreography.
A 1980 revival was the Broadway debut of star Jennifer Holliday.
During the 1982 run, Al Green appeared with Patti Labelle in the show.