Back in the day, there was no advanced technology that allowed us to stream live posts of prejudicial and discriminating acts as they were happening, instead, those who felt wronged would sing about it. Newspapers were not interested in printing how many men and women who died due to prejudicial reasoning, not all news mattered as not all lives mattered. So it was interesting that “Ballad For Bill Moore” words by Don West (found on page 95) was sung, but not unusual, Bill Moore was a man who believed in equality and died for that belief, although his skin color was white. “The lyncher’s bullets know no color/ As they come whining thru the night/ They’ve brought death to many a Negro/ And William Moore whose skin was white.” (Chorus 3) This was equivalent to the morning news when workers would start their day. One person started to sing the lyrics of the happenings around them and others working near would start to sing along; word of mouth was at work in its finest hours. This was a song binding its legacy to the historical slavery origins by stating within its lyrics that Bill Moore “… walked for peace, he walked for freedom/ He walked for truth, he walked for right,/ End segregation in this country/Eat at Joe’s, both black and white.” (Chorus 7). These songs were a testament to what was going on in the world as they knew it. They were songs that had powerful word combinations that gave strength to their feelings of overwhelming injustice.
It was as important then as it is now for people of any DNA make-up to get out how they felt and it has always been true that humans have a need for affiliation with other humans, so it is no wonder that less fortunate people of a less fortunate time would do whatever they could, which happened to be singing. They sang sweet and they sang low, they sang with passion and they sang with a beat, it made the day go by and it made the hard times a smidge less hard, it even made explaining the fate they were dealt a little less harsh. In “Why Was The Darkie Born?” by James Bevel and Bernice Reagon (found on page 154) it is portrayed that a young child is asking its mother why were dark-skinned babies born and the mother gives an honest reply, “Somebody had to pick the cotton/ Somebody had to pull the corn/ somebody had to build a great nation/ and that’s why the darkie was a-born” (Line 3-6). Truth that was riddled with discrimination and prejudice so much that it became traditional for them to sing their feelings in an effort to cope. By the written account of the history of this time period, it seems to be the one thing that they were, to a larger than normal extent, allowed to have as they worked; so they took this inch of slack and ran a mile with it embedding it into their culture. In this song, its reference to picking cotton and pulling the corn was part of its legacy to the historical slavery origins. Also by stating within its last stanza “Come here my little baby,/ Sit on your mama’s knee/ And I will try to tell you/ Why your Ma ain’t free.” (53-56) we know this is an attempt to cope with slavery, an attempt to accept it through explanation. It is always the case that what we try to justify through our best attempts at common sense explanation what we feel is wrong or don’t understand in an effort to soften the feelings of injustice.
Without such telling lyrics and rhythmic poetic beats, these songs would simply be stories that would get changed throughout the years by horrible word of mouth gossip. These two songs, like many others, work well to remind future generations of all the struggles and harsh realities that came before them to ensure a better tomorrow.
Work Cited:
It was as important then as it is now for people of any DNA make-up to get out how they felt and it has always been true that humans have a need for affiliation with other humans, so it is no wonder that less fortunate people of a less fortunate time would do whatever they could, which happened to be singing. They sang sweet and they sang low, they sang with passion and they sang with a beat, it made the day go by and it made the hard times a smidge less hard, it even made explaining the fate they were dealt a little less harsh. In “Why Was The Darkie Born?” by James Bevel and Bernice Reagon (found on page 154) it is portrayed that a young child is asking its mother why were dark-skinned babies born and the mother gives an honest reply, “Somebody had to pick the cotton/ Somebody had to pull the corn/ somebody had to build a great nation/ and that’s why the darkie was a-born” (Line 3-6). Truth that was riddled with discrimination and prejudice so much that it became traditional for them to sing their feelings in an effort to cope. By the written account of the history of this time period, it seems to be the one thing that they were, to a larger than normal extent, allowed to have as they worked; so they took this inch of slack and ran a mile with it embedding it into their culture. In this song, its reference to picking cotton and pulling the corn was part of its legacy to the historical slavery origins. Also by stating within its last stanza “Come here my little baby,/ Sit on your mama’s knee/ And I will try to tell you/ Why your Ma ain’t free.” (53-56) we know this is an attempt to cope with slavery, an attempt to accept it through explanation. It is always the case that what we try to justify through our best attempts at common sense explanation what we feel is wrong or don’t understand in an effort to soften the feelings of injustice.
Without such telling lyrics and rhythmic poetic beats, these songs would simply be stories that would get changed throughout the years by horrible word of mouth gossip. These two songs, like many others, work well to remind future generations of all the struggles and harsh realities that came before them to ensure a better tomorrow.
Work Cited:
- Carawan, Guy, and Candy. Sing for Freedom. The Story of the Civil Rights Movements Through Its Song. New South Books. 2007. Pgs. 95, 154.
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