“Lord, I Want to Be a Christian”
Native Son“Lord, I Want to Be a Christian” is a devotional song heard in the Thomas family apartment as Bigger prepares to go out armed. Ma’s singing places an appeal to Christian faith beside his mounting fear and his decision to take part in the planned robbery, giving the song its significance in this scene without suggesting that it changes his course.
Words and Setting
The song’s refrain asks to be a Christian “in my heart,” making inward religious commitment its explicit subject. Ma sings it behind the curtain while Bigger enters and retrieves a gun from beneath the top mattress of his bed. The private, familiar sound of the song accompanies an act he conceals from his family.
Place in the Scene
As Bigger is about to leave, Ma pauses and asks, “That you, Bigger?” He quickly steps into the outer hallway and slams the door, then hurries downstairs. The contrast is sharp: the song’s plea for faith continues in the room he has left, while Bigger carries the hidden gun into the street and heads for Doc’s Poolroom. The passage does not state that Ma’s singing is meant as a warning to him; its force comes from the juxtaposition between the devotional words and the fearful, secretive action unfolding alongside them.
