The Speaker is a transcendent, first-person voice representing the collective history and identity of Black people. Rather than a single literal person, he embodies shared wisdom, perseverance, and ancestral strength. He traces his heritage from the cradles of civilization in Asia and Africa to the modern United States, drawing physical and spiritual life from the world's waterways.

Abe Lincoln is a young historical figure whose journey down the Mississippi River is witnessed by the Speaker. His travel marks a temporal and geographic anchor in the modern United States. The Speaker associates Lincoln's presence on the water with a visual shift, noting how the muddy river turns golden in the setting sun.