March 28, 2025 • 12 mins
For Shop Talk, we dive into Dr. Martin Luther King’s incredible speech that’s become known as “The Street Sweeper Speech”.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, everybody, it's Bill Courtney's Shop Talk number forty seven.
Welcome in. How you doing, Alex Good?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I wish everybody could see that big smile of yours
when you're ringing the bell.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Love the bell, And I'm going to do a reminder
shout out. This is the Army of normal folks bell
that was sent to us because I wanted a bell
by a listener named I remember.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Do you remember?
Speaker 1 (00:26):
No?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Oh yeah, I just called you out. Yeah, Vita Scott.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Vita Scott, Vida Scott. I sent an email and I
remember when you said it. But anyway, that's why I
like it so much, because it's a bell for the
shop from Vita Scott, a listener who was kind of
enough sent it to us. Hey, I remember my mom
telling me it doesn't matter what you do, just be
the best at it. If you're going to be a
(00:51):
ditch digger, be the best daggum ditch digger on the block.
I bet some of you have heard that today. We're
going to talk about that right after these brief messages
from our general sponsors. Everybody, welcome back Shop Talk number
forty seven. Be the best at what you are. There's
(01:15):
a thing called the street Sweeper speech by doctor Martin
Luther King and April fourth, nineteen sixty eight. The man
was assassinated in my hometown in Memphis, and the anniversary
of that horrific day is upon us. And ironically enough,
(01:38):
there's a speech that fits a lot about something we
want to talk about shop talk today. And so here
is a excerpt from that speech.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
What I'm saying to you this morning, my friend, even
if it calls your luck to be a street sweeper,
go out in sweet streets like Michael Angelo painted peace Kitchen,
sweet streets like handle and Beethoven composed music sweet streets,
(02:16):
like Shakespeare wrote Portrail a right sweet streets so well
that all the hosts of Heaven and Earth will have
to pause and say, He'll live, the great street sweeper
who swept his job well. If you can't be a
pine on the top of a hill, be a scarb
in the valley, But be the best little scruff on
the side of the riel. Be a bush. If you
(02:36):
can't be a tree, if you can't be a highway,
just be a trail. If you can't be the sun,
be a star. It isn't by size that you win
or you fail. Be the best of whatever you are.
And when you do this, when you do this, you've
mastered the length of life.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Even though that was a ninth teen sixty seven, I
still get chills when I listen to it, just now
hearing it. There's something about the way Mlka delivered what
we all know as human beings is an obvious call,
(03:18):
but the way he delivered it just, you know, it's
just poignant. I hope you enjoyed listen to it. I
hope you'll. I hope you'll look it up and listen
to the whole speech.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
But hold on before you move on. I don't think
it's totally obvious. I mean, I think there's so many
people out there today who are sweeping streets or being
a janitor or being a bus driver and just you know,
just viewing it as a paycheck or they just don't
think they're all that worthy. And there's all these other
special people out there and they're not, you know, really
(03:55):
viewing it the way that I'm Okay, just did that
sweep streets like Michaelangelo painted picture, and like our interview
with Chris Ollman, which I think will be out by
the time the Shop Talk errors, you know, he talked
about the parking garage, you know, attendant who brought joyed
everybody there, you know, and his station in life of
being his role of being a parking attendant, you know
(04:15):
what joy he can bring and not viewing that in
some deminimous way of I'm just a parking attendant or
I'm just a sweet sweep street sweeper. So I really
think there're you know, much of our culture needs to
learn from this speech and has never heard it before.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
I think it's true. And when you talk about an
army of normal folks, what better can you have but
a bunch of normal folks street sweepers, ditch diggers, parking,
a lot of attendants. It doesn't matter what you're engaged in.
You have an opportunity every day to make a difference
in somebody's life and be the best at whatever it
(04:49):
is you're going to be. And I think it's an
encouragement to all of us to understand you don't have
to start a multi million dollar one three to be effective.
You can be effective down the hallway. You can be
effective helping a kid read, giving blood, the small things,
(05:09):
but just be good at it and be committed to it.
It was April ninth, nineteen sixty seven that Mka gave
that speech at the New Covenant Baptist Church in Chicago.
In the speech, he considers three dimensions of life It's length,
its breadth, and its height. Here's more of that clip
(05:33):
that I will read. There will be a day and
the question won't be how many awards did you get
in life? Not that day. It won't be how popular
popular were you in your social setting? That won't be
the question that day. It will not ask how many
degrees you've been able to get. The question that day
(05:54):
will not be concerned with whether you are a PhD
or no D. It will not be concerned with whether
you went to more house or whether you went to
no house. The question that day will not be how
beautiful is your house? The question that day will not
be how much money did you accumulate? How much did
(06:15):
you have in stocks and bonds? The question that day
will not be what kind of automobile did you have?
On that day? The question will be what did you
do for others? Now I can hear someone saying, Lord,
I did a lot of things in my life. I
did my job well. The world honored me for doing
my job. I did a lot of things, Lord, I
(06:35):
went to school and studied hard. I accumulated a lot
of money. Lord, That's what I did. It seems as
if I can hear the Lord of Life saying, but
I was hungry and you fed me. Not I was
sick and you visited me. Not I was naked and
you clothed me. Not I was in prison and you
were concerned about me. So get out of my face.
(06:57):
What did you do for others? This is the breadth
of life. Go out this morning. Love yourself, and that
means rational and healthy self interest. You are commanded to
do that. That's the length of life. Then follow that,
love your neighbors. You love yourself. You're commanded to do that.
That's the breadth of life. And I'm going to take
(07:20):
my seat now by letting you know that there's a
first and even greater commandment. Love thy Lord, that God,
with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all
thy strength. I think that the psychologists would just say,
with all that personality. And when you do that, you've
got the height of life. And when you get all
(07:41):
three of these together, you can walk and never get weary.
You can look up and see the morning stars singing
together and the sons of God shouting for joy. When
you get all of these working together in your very life,
judgment will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a
mighty stream. And the words of Martin Luther King three
(08:02):
dimensions of life, length, breadth, and height, and his explanation
for all of that is, if you're a street sweeper,
sweep streets like Michaelangelo painted art, be the very best
you can be at whatever your discipline is. And certainly
that's at your job, and that's as a parent, that's
(08:25):
as a spouse, that as a friend, but it's also
as you interact with your community. You don't have to
have a massive five OHO one C three or be
part of some massive grassroots earth shattering policy changing organization.
You don't have to do any of that to be
(08:46):
a member of the army in normal folks, all you
have to do is MLK taught us in nineteen sixty seven,
is be the best at what you can do and
expand the three dimensions of your life, its breath, and
its height by being the best you can be, serving
others and making a difference where you can make a difference,
(09:10):
which might be just down the hallway, giving blood, helping
a neighbor, reading to kids, going to an old folks home,
and keeping a lonely old person company. The army of
normal folks is a ground up, ground up, bottom up
(09:30):
group of people seeing area needs and filling it to
the best of their ability, where their discipline and abilities
and passions lie. Martin Luther King says, if you're going
to be a street sweeper, be the best you can.
And likewise, to be an army of normal folks, all
you got to do is be a street sweeper who
(09:52):
tries real hard and sees her he needs and fills it.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
We think, Alex, I don't think I have anything sad.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
That is shop talk.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I just wish I had seen him in person. You
never saw him speak.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Did you know? I was born four months after he
was shot?
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Really? Yeah? I was born in sixty eight in the
same city he was shot in. Yeah. No, But I
took a class in college, an English class, and a
lot of a lot of his speeches were actually covered
in that class. As it talked about it was poetry
(10:30):
and prose, and not that he was a poet, but
his prose and his cadence and his way of delivering
messages is actually very poetic.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Actually I noticed it in this one which I had
never noticed before, him saying whether you went to morehouse
or no, no house? And then the next line was,
and it's not about your beautiful house.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
I mean, that's that's how he delivered things. And that's
what I mean by simplifying, making obvious or simplifying thoughts
is how can you not how can you argue with that?
You know? But I studied a lot of what he
was saying, and it was more from for that particular class,
(11:15):
from a standpoint pros and cadence and delivery and amazing
writing and storytelling. But in doing that, I ended up
reading a lot of his speeches, and it is when
I was awakened to the power of what m ok
staid and stood for. It's more than just civil rights too.
(11:38):
He was he was He was big on.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
On economic justice.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Well economic justice. He's also big on patriotism. Believe it
or not. The man was a good man and he uh,
you know, I just wonder what is what is his
Legacy's insane? But I just wonder if he had another
ten years, how much more good and awakening he would
(12:06):
have done for our society and culture. But at any rate,
Shop Talk number forty seven. If you're going to sweep streets,
be the best you can at it. Likewise, be an
army and normal folks where you can how you can,
and just be the best at that. And there there's
no organization that is more important than any individual doing
(12:29):
what they can. You be the best at what you
can be, join the ranks of the army. Let's change
our culture. That's shop Talking number forty seven. We'll see
you next week.
Hey, everybody, it's Bill Courtney's Shop Talk number forty seven.
Welcome in. How you doing, Alex Good?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I wish everybody could see that big smile of yours
when you're ringing the bell.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Love the bell, And I'm going to do a reminder
shout out. This is the Army of normal folks bell
that was sent to us because I wanted a bell
by a listener named I remember.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Do you remember?
Speaker 1 (00:26):
No?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Oh yeah, I just called you out. Yeah, Vita Scott.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Vita Scott, Vida Scott. I sent an email and I
remember when you said it. But anyway, that's why I
like it so much, because it's a bell for the
shop from Vita Scott, a listener who was kind of
enough sent it to us. Hey, I remember my mom
telling me it doesn't matter what you do, just be
the best at it. If you're going to be a
(00:51):
ditch digger, be the best daggum ditch digger on the block.
I bet some of you have heard that today. We're
going to talk about that right after these brief messages
from our general sponsors. Everybody, welcome back Shop Talk number
forty seven. Be the best at what you are. There's
(01:15):
a thing called the street Sweeper speech by doctor Martin
Luther King and April fourth, nineteen sixty eight. The man
was assassinated in my hometown in Memphis, and the anniversary
of that horrific day is upon us. And ironically enough,
(01:38):
there's a speech that fits a lot about something we
want to talk about shop talk today. And so here
is a excerpt from that speech.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
What I'm saying to you this morning, my friend, even
if it calls your luck to be a street sweeper,
go out in sweet streets like Michael Angelo painted peace Kitchen,
sweet streets like handle and Beethoven composed music sweet streets,
(02:16):
like Shakespeare wrote Portrail a right sweet streets so well
that all the hosts of Heaven and Earth will have
to pause and say, He'll live, the great street sweeper
who swept his job well. If you can't be a
pine on the top of a hill, be a scarb
in the valley, But be the best little scruff on
the side of the riel. Be a bush. If you
(02:36):
can't be a tree, if you can't be a highway,
just be a trail. If you can't be the sun,
be a star. It isn't by size that you win
or you fail. Be the best of whatever you are.
And when you do this, when you do this, you've
mastered the length of life.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Even though that was a ninth teen sixty seven, I
still get chills when I listen to it, just now
hearing it. There's something about the way Mlka delivered what
we all know as human beings is an obvious call,
(03:18):
but the way he delivered it just, you know, it's
just poignant. I hope you enjoyed listen to it. I
hope you'll. I hope you'll look it up and listen
to the whole speech.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
But hold on before you move on. I don't think
it's totally obvious. I mean, I think there's so many
people out there today who are sweeping streets or being
a janitor or being a bus driver and just you know,
just viewing it as a paycheck or they just don't
think they're all that worthy. And there's all these other
special people out there and they're not, you know, really
(03:55):
viewing it the way that I'm Okay, just did that
sweep streets like Michaelangelo painted picture, and like our interview
with Chris Ollman, which I think will be out by
the time the Shop Talk errors, you know, he talked
about the parking garage, you know, attendant who brought joyed
everybody there, you know, and his station in life of
being his role of being a parking attendant, you know
(04:15):
what joy he can bring and not viewing that in
some deminimous way of I'm just a parking attendant or
I'm just a sweet sweep street sweeper. So I really
think there're you know, much of our culture needs to
learn from this speech and has never heard it before.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
I think it's true. And when you talk about an
army of normal folks, what better can you have but
a bunch of normal folks street sweepers, ditch diggers, parking,
a lot of attendants. It doesn't matter what you're engaged in.
You have an opportunity every day to make a difference
in somebody's life and be the best at whatever it
(04:49):
is you're going to be. And I think it's an
encouragement to all of us to understand you don't have
to start a multi million dollar one three to be effective.
You can be effective down the hallway. You can be
effective helping a kid read, giving blood, the small things,
(05:09):
but just be good at it and be committed to it.
It was April ninth, nineteen sixty seven that Mka gave
that speech at the New Covenant Baptist Church in Chicago.
In the speech, he considers three dimensions of life It's length,
its breadth, and its height. Here's more of that clip
(05:33):
that I will read. There will be a day and
the question won't be how many awards did you get
in life? Not that day. It won't be how popular
popular were you in your social setting? That won't be
the question that day. It will not ask how many
degrees you've been able to get. The question that day
(05:54):
will not be concerned with whether you are a PhD
or no D. It will not be concerned with whether
you went to more house or whether you went to
no house. The question that day will not be how
beautiful is your house? The question that day will not
be how much money did you accumulate? How much did
(06:15):
you have in stocks and bonds? The question that day
will not be what kind of automobile did you have?
On that day? The question will be what did you
do for others? Now I can hear someone saying, Lord,
I did a lot of things in my life. I
did my job well. The world honored me for doing
my job. I did a lot of things, Lord, I
(06:35):
went to school and studied hard. I accumulated a lot
of money. Lord, That's what I did. It seems as
if I can hear the Lord of Life saying, but
I was hungry and you fed me. Not I was
sick and you visited me. Not I was naked and
you clothed me. Not I was in prison and you
were concerned about me. So get out of my face.
(06:57):
What did you do for others? This is the breadth
of life. Go out this morning. Love yourself, and that
means rational and healthy self interest. You are commanded to
do that. That's the length of life. Then follow that,
love your neighbors. You love yourself. You're commanded to do that.
That's the breadth of life. And I'm going to take
(07:20):
my seat now by letting you know that there's a
first and even greater commandment. Love thy Lord, that God,
with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all
thy strength. I think that the psychologists would just say,
with all that personality. And when you do that, you've
got the height of life. And when you get all
(07:41):
three of these together, you can walk and never get weary.
You can look up and see the morning stars singing
together and the sons of God shouting for joy. When
you get all of these working together in your very life,
judgment will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a
mighty stream. And the words of Martin Luther King three
(08:02):
dimensions of life, length, breadth, and height, and his explanation
for all of that is, if you're a street sweeper,
sweep streets like Michaelangelo painted art, be the very best
you can be at whatever your discipline is. And certainly
that's at your job, and that's as a parent, that's
(08:25):
as a spouse, that as a friend, but it's also
as you interact with your community. You don't have to
have a massive five OHO one C three or be
part of some massive grassroots earth shattering policy changing organization.
You don't have to do any of that to be
(08:46):
a member of the army in normal folks, all you
have to do is MLK taught us in nineteen sixty seven,
is be the best at what you can do and
expand the three dimensions of your life, its breath, and
its height by being the best you can be, serving
others and making a difference where you can make a difference,
(09:10):
which might be just down the hallway, giving blood, helping
a neighbor, reading to kids, going to an old folks home,
and keeping a lonely old person company. The army of
normal folks is a ground up, ground up, bottom up
(09:30):
group of people seeing area needs and filling it to
the best of their ability, where their discipline and abilities
and passions lie. Martin Luther King says, if you're going
to be a street sweeper, be the best you can.
And likewise, to be an army of normal folks, all
you got to do is be a street sweeper who
(09:52):
tries real hard and sees her he needs and fills it.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
We think, Alex, I don't think I have anything sad.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
That is shop talk.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I just wish I had seen him in person. You
never saw him speak.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Did you know? I was born four months after he
was shot?
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Really? Yeah? I was born in sixty eight in the
same city he was shot in. Yeah. No, But I
took a class in college, an English class, and a
lot of a lot of his speeches were actually covered
in that class. As it talked about it was poetry
(10:30):
and prose, and not that he was a poet, but
his prose and his cadence and his way of delivering
messages is actually very poetic.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Actually I noticed it in this one which I had
never noticed before, him saying whether you went to morehouse
or no, no house? And then the next line was,
and it's not about your beautiful house.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
I mean, that's that's how he delivered things. And that's
what I mean by simplifying, making obvious or simplifying thoughts
is how can you not how can you argue with that?
You know? But I studied a lot of what he
was saying, and it was more from for that particular class,
(11:15):
from a standpoint pros and cadence and delivery and amazing
writing and storytelling. But in doing that, I ended up
reading a lot of his speeches, and it is when
I was awakened to the power of what m ok
staid and stood for. It's more than just civil rights too.
(11:38):
He was he was He was big on.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
On economic justice.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Well economic justice. He's also big on patriotism. Believe it
or not. The man was a good man and he uh,
you know, I just wonder what is what is his
Legacy's insane? But I just wonder if he had another
ten years, how much more good and awakening he would
(12:06):
have done for our society and culture. But at any rate,
Shop Talk number forty seven. If you're going to sweep streets,
be the best you can at it. Likewise, be an
army and normal folks where you can how you can,
and just be the best at that. And there there's
no organization that is more important than any individual doing
(12:29):
what they can. You be the best at what you
can be, join the ranks of the army. Let's change
our culture. That's shop Talking number forty seven. We'll see
you next week.
Host
Bill Courtney
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