Beige depicts "the Afro-American of the 1920s, 30s and World War II" according to Leonard Feather's notes for the 1977 release of the original 1943 performance.
bˈeɪʒ dᵻpˈɪkts "ðɪ ˈæfɹoʊɐmˈɛɹɪkən ʌvðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti z, θˈɜːɾi z ænd wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ ɹˌoʊmən tˈuː" ɐkˈoːɹdɪŋ tə lˈɛnɚd fˈɛðɚz nˈoʊts fɚðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti sˈɛvən ɹᵻlˈiːs ʌvðɪ ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəl nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi θɹˈiː pɚfˈoːɹməns.