I was in Pagosa Springs just the other day
Saw a man on a soapbox, stopped to hear what he’d say
He screamed take that peace sign off your abode
It’s the sign of the Devil, it belongs in your commode.
Take it down, we won’t ask twice
It ain’t no sin to kill a Commie for Christ

He said:

Freedom is for me,
Freedom’s not for you
You ask me how I know it’s true
‘Coz my neck is red
My skin is white
And my blood is blue

He stood on his toes to emphasize his point
While in the air behind me I thought I smelled a joint
He ranted and screamed that what he spoke was true
This passion for peace was the devil’s due
The value of our homes is gonna drop, you see
If our neighbors start to think their speech is free

He said:

Freedom is for me,
Freedom’s not for you
You ask me how I know it’s true
‘Coz my neck is red
My skin is white
And my truck is blue

He shouted let’s fine ‘em twenty-five a day
Show ‘em free speech has a price to pay
We mean business, this is not any bluff
Our property values are serious stuff
Remember, we got cov-e-nants
To stop people sayin’ whatever they want

He said:

Freedom is for me,
Freedom’s not for you
You ask me how I know it’s true
‘Coz my neck is red
My skin is white
And my dog’s named Blue

You can tie my hands, you can shackle my feet
But you never can kill the beat
Of Freedom
You can jail my brothers and my sisters too
But you never can jail the truth
Of Freedom

So few of you have all the power
you seem so afraid of darkness
But you have to know it’s the eleventh hour
and recognize the real darkness
is in your hearts,
and in your minds,
and in your souls

CHORUS

The truth is something you fear most
you use your guns and jails to keep it quiet
You shoot the children, then you boast
that you have quelled a riot
It’s in your hearts,
and in your minds,
and in your souls

CHORUS

The day’s coming soon when you’ll have to run
and leave South Africa to its owners
You secret police will throw down their guns
and escape to different shores
you have no hearts,
you have no minds,
you have no souls
you have no hearts,
you have no minds,
you have no souls

repeat til fade

Amadla!

Talking Leaves

Freedom Blues: S.African Jazz Under Apartheid

for more interesting stuff, Google music apartheid

Over the next couple of days I’ll dig into my archives and post a couple of pieces from the past.

Quack

Your turn…..

Some of my favorites (in no particular order):

Reggae Down Babylon (Jimmy Cliff) — reggae down apartheid!

Buffalo Soldier (Bob Marley) — the US government using former slaves to fight indigenous Americans…

Downpressor Man (Peter Tosh) — the Jamaican police state.