Southern woods, full of prickly branches that cut
Like sharp blades,
Snappin gators in the everglades
Represented our path to freedom….
Tryin to get to the promised land, way back when.
Trying to escape the other man’s sin.
Looking for a new life,
We wondered as we ventured on our travel did that place exist?
When we got there would this life full of hatred, horror and oppression
Continue to persist?
It didn’t matter, our lives were all we could give,
For us to stay in the life placed before us, gave us no reason to live…
We knew we would never get back to our native land,
But it was still worth it, knowing there was a possibility
Of being treated like a woman or…a man.
Some of us made it to that promise land, it was a little better,
But far from what we expected.
Still treated as second class citizens
Still not respected.
Soon after slavery ended, we all celebrated, with joy and spiritual songs we sang,
But not too much changed, strange fruit on the southern trees continued to hang.
That time has gone, and we have entered a new era of life
A different time, but the only difference now is self inflicted strife.
Cause the “man” as we call him has found other ways to hold us back
The weed, the Heron, and yellow tops full of crack
Yeah he lost the battle of slavery but won the war of enslavement.
Were still locked down in the ghetto’s blood stained pavement.
I guess you could say he’s smart, knows us better than we think.
Providing us with guns and drugs and all the malt liquor we wanna drink.
So I ask you will we ever be free?
Equality for all, is that an unreachable fantasy?
Maybe yes maybe no, but we can’t sit back and wait like that day is coming.
We have to seek it out for ourselves,
So I guess we have to keep runnin……
Copyright © 2000 T.L. Stevens
Like sharp blades,
Snappin gators in the everglades
Represented our path to freedom….
Tryin to get to the promised land, way back when.
Trying to escape the other man’s sin.
Looking for a new life,
We wondered as we ventured on our travel did that place exist?
When we got there would this life full of hatred, horror and oppression
Continue to persist?
It didn’t matter, our lives were all we could give,
For us to stay in the life placed before us, gave us no reason to live…
We knew we would never get back to our native land,
But it was still worth it, knowing there was a possibility
Of being treated like a woman or…a man.
Some of us made it to that promise land, it was a little better,
But far from what we expected.
Still treated as second class citizens
Still not respected.
Soon after slavery ended, we all celebrated, with joy and spiritual songs we sang,
But not too much changed, strange fruit on the southern trees continued to hang.
That time has gone, and we have entered a new era of life
A different time, but the only difference now is self inflicted strife.
Cause the “man” as we call him has found other ways to hold us back
The weed, the Heron, and yellow tops full of crack
Yeah he lost the battle of slavery but won the war of enslavement.
Were still locked down in the ghetto’s blood stained pavement.
I guess you could say he’s smart, knows us better than we think.
Providing us with guns and drugs and all the malt liquor we wanna drink.
So I ask you will we ever be free?
Equality for all, is that an unreachable fantasy?
Maybe yes maybe no, but we can’t sit back and wait like that day is coming.
We have to seek it out for ourselves,
So I guess we have to keep runnin……
Copyright © 2000 T.L. Stevens
