Below is a poem by Abel Meeropol in 1939, and recorded by Billie Holiday. The only thing that has changed from the 30’s to today is from a rope to a gun…from burning flesh to the burning public outcry that still, in America, blacks are lynched by a gun…just for being black._______________________________________________
Southern trees bear a strange fruit,Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,Black bodies swinging in the Southern breeze,Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.Pastoral scene of the gallant souththe bulging eyes and the twisted mouthscent of magnoliasweet and freshthen the sudden smell of burning fleshHere is a fruitfor the crows to pluckfor the rain to gatherfor the wind to suckfor the sun to rotfor the tree to dropHere is a strangeand bitter crop_______________________________________________
For all those with a compassionate heart, a love for America and a desire to see it a better place I you will want to see a 2002 PBS documentary about a lynching, and the effects of protest songs and art, entitled Strange Fruit
As I posted on Chis Britt:
Below is a poem by Abel Meeropol in 1939, and recorded by Billie Holiday. The only thing that has changed from the 30’s to today is from a rope to a gun…from burning flesh to the burning public outcry that still, in America, blacks are lynched by a gun…just for being black._______________________________________________
Southern trees bear a strange fruit,Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,Black bodies swinging in the Southern breeze,Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.Pastoral scene of the gallant souththe bulging eyes and the twisted mouthscent of magnoliasweet and freshthen the sudden smell of burning fleshHere is a fruitfor the crows to pluckfor the rain to gatherfor the wind to suckfor the sun to rotfor the tree to dropHere is a strangeand bitter crop_______________________________________________
For all those with a compassionate heart, a love for America and a desire to see it a better place I you will want to see a 2002 PBS documentary about a lynching, and the effects of protest songs and art, entitled Strange Fruit