Lines 1-2

As this poem begins, Du Bois identifies the persona of the poem as "the Smoke King." The second line proclaims that, despite this light color, the persona is "black." This was a startling proclamation for the time, as "color" had become as much of an issue in the African-American culture as outside it. Lighter skinned people "passed" as white, of course, but there was also a general acceptance of the notion in the African-American culture that lighter skin was preferable. Du Bois himself was a very light-skinned black man, and he strongly objected to this kind of distinction.

Lines 3-4

There is an immediate identification here with the characteristic of "smoke" to float upward; this will be expounded upon in lines 5-7. The poet is likely also making reference to the popular spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," which includes the phrase "coming for to carry me...