Anti-Racist Transformative Music

We Shall Overcome

Traditional Hymn, Gospel

We shall overcome, we shall overcome,
We shall overcome someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.
The Lord will see us through, The Lord will see us through,
The Lord will see us through someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.

"We Shall Overcome" was the key anthem in the civil rights movement, it was the basis of Dr. Martin Luther King's "We Shall Overcome" speech in 1968 where he described why he believed that the movement would prevail and that they'd overcome all of their hardships in the end. It was often sung through out the movement in meetings, during protests, and at gatherings. It was originally a Christian hymn, which them transformed itself into a key protest song. This song has also been used in many other similar protests. It was sung in times of hardships to bring spirits up, for example, it was first sung by tobacco union workers striking outside of the factory in the cold, they sang it at the end of every day they spent striking. It has also been used in the anti-apartheid movement and various anti-Communist movements during the Cold War and post-Cold War.

Strange Fruit

Billie Holiday, 1939, Blues

Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant South,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh!

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Strange Fruit was one of the first songs to really challenge the racism in the south during the Civil Rights era. It proved to be very controversial for its time. It portrayed violence against African Americans, lynchings, that were a common occurrence in the south. Due to the impact of the song, Holiday chose to end all her shows with this number. It is said that just as the song was about to begin, waiters would stop serving, the lights in the club would be turned off, and a single pin spotlight would illuminate Holiday on the stage. During the musical introduction, Holiday would stand with her eyes closed, as if she were evoking a prayer. The lyrics of the song evoke vivid harrowing images of the "strange fruit" that hang from southern trees. Holiday approached Columbia (her recording label) to record the song, but due to fear of backlash by record retailers in the south, she had to go to a smaller record label to record the track (Columbia's fear of backlash is an example of the discrimination coefficient in a real life situation, in this case when the discrimination coefficient was added to the equation, the revenue that it'd bring in, or lack there of, would not be enough to compensate the costs, let alone become profitable for the record company.) In 1978, Holiday's "Strange Fruit" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Blowin' in the Wind

Bob Dylan, 1963, Folk

Yes, how many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea
Yes, how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free
Yes, how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn't see
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky
Yes, how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry
Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Blowing in the wind was one of the many anthems that drove the Civil Rights movement. It asked all the questions that the activits asked: "How many roads must a man walk down, before you can call him a man? How many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free? How many times can a man turn his head pretending he just doesn't see?" These are all the questions that were being asked at that time, questiong the public about this injustice. This song definitely exemplifies the "questioning and envisioning" transformative process.

Only a Pawn In Their Game

Bob Dylan, 1963, Folk

A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Evers' blood.
A finger fired the trigger to his name.
A handle hit out in the dark
A hand set the spark
Two eyes took the aim
Behind a man's brain
But he can't be blamed
He's only a pawn in their game.

This song was written by Bob Dylan about the assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers, and the injustice within the judicial system in the South that allowed the killer to go free. But in the song he does not blame the actual shooter for the death of Evers, instead he blames the corrupt southern politicians that preach the racism and perpetuate the violence against blacks in the south. He tells about how the rich white politicians use racism as a tool to keep the poor whites and blacks down. They use racism as a tool to make the poor whites think there is some unity between them and the rich. The rich then use this power and get the poor whites to terrorize the black people in the community, and keep the poor whites poor. Thus this prevents the poor whites and the blacks to unite and fight their true oppressors, the rich white politicians. Also how the politicians keep brainwashing the youth with hatred and violence that then leads to such tragedies, how that is not due to these poor white workers who constantly stay poor, but rather the rich governors that abuse their power and influence to not only preserve this violence, but also their high statuses in their southern communities.

Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)

James Brown, 1968, Funk/Soul

Look a'here, some people say we got a lot of malice
Some say it's a lotta nerve
I say we won't quit moving
Til we get what we deserve
We've been buked and we've been scourned
We've been treated bad, talked about
As just as sure as you're born
But just as sure as it take
Two eyes to make a pair, huh
Brother, we can't quit until we get our share
Say it loud,
I'm black and I'm proud, hu
Say it louder,
I'm black and I'm proud , Lord I feel it
Say it loud,
I'm black and I'm proud
Say it louder,
I'm black and I'm proud

James Brown wrote and released the song in 1968 and it served as an anthem of the Black Power Movement. In the song, Brown echoes some of the ideas of the Black Power Movement. For example, he espouses blacks working for themselves instead of whites. The song also values the devalued by promoting pride in being black.

When Will We Be Paid (For the Work We've Done)

The Staple Singers, 1971, Rhythm and Blues

"When will we be paid for the work we've done
When will we be paid for the work we've done

We worked this country
From shore to shore
Our women cooked all your food
And washed all your clothes
We picked cotton and laid the railroad steel
Worked our hands down to the bone at your lumber mill

Fought in your wars, in every land
To keep this country free, y'all
For women, children, and men
But anytime we ask for pay or a loan
That's when everything seems to turn out wrong

We've been beat up, called name, shot down, and stoned
Every time we do right, somebody say we're wrong
Oh, oh when, when will we be paid?
We've given up our sweat, now
And all of our tears
Stumbled through this life
For more than 300 years
I, I wanna know, the work we've done
When will be paid for the work we've done

Will we ever be proud
Of "My country, tis of thee"
Will we ever sing out loud
Sweet land of Liberty
When will we be paid
For the work we've done"

When Will We Be Paid is an excellent example of valuing the devalued. The song asks "when will we be paid for the work we've done?" referencing the unpaid work done by African slaves and the low wages for work even after, both for the woman's work "our women cooked all your food and washed all your clothes" and for the man's work "we picked cotton and laid the railroad steel, worked our hands down to the bone at your lumber mill". They are demanding to be paid back for all the hardships and abuse they have taken, for every man, woman, and child. This song is an excellent example of a song valuing the devalued.

F--k tha Police

NWA, 1988, Rap

"F- tha police
Comin straight from the underground
Young n- got it bad cuz I'm brown
And not the other color so police think
They have the authority to kill a minority

F- that shit, cuz I ain't tha one
For a punk muthaf- with a badge and a gun
To be beatin on, and throwin in jail
We could go toe to toe in the middle of a cell

Cuz they slam ya down to the street top
Black police showin out for the white cop"

This song by NWA was released in 1988 and captures the tension between minorities, particularly African Americans, and the police. Notably, four years after the song was released, the police officers who were charged with beating Rodney King, an African American man, were acquitted which sparked the Los Angeles Riots. The song discussed unequal treatment and racial profiling by the police of people of color. Additionally, like people in the black separatist movement during the Civil Rights Movement, the song is critical of African Americans that are seen as being part of the establishment, in this case African American police officers, and accuses them of trying to please whites.

Keep Ya Head Up

Tupac, 1993, Rap

Aiyyo, I remember Marvin Gaye, used to sing ta me
He had me feelin like black was tha thing to be
And suddenly tha ghetto didn't seem so tough
And though we had it rough, we always had enough
I huffed and puffed about my curfew and broke the rules
Ran with the local crew, and had a smoke or two
And I realize momma really paid the price
She nearly gave her life, to raise me right
And all I had ta give her was my pipe dream
Of how I'd rock the mic, and make it to tha bright screen
I'm tryin to make a dollar out of fifteen cents
It's hard to be legit and still pay tha rent
And in the end it seems I'm headin for tha pen
I try and find my friends, but they're blowin in the wind
Last night my buddy lost his whole family
It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity
It seems tha rain'll never let up
I try to keep my head up, and still keep from gettin wet up
You know it's funny when it rains it pours
They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor
Say there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is
it ain't no hope for tha future
And then they wonder why we crazy
I blame my mother, for turning my brother into a crack baby
We ain't meant to survive, cause it's a setup
And even though you're fed up
Huh, ya got to keep your head up

The song is about a variety of issues in the African American community. One of the main issues it raises is the lack of respect for women by men and the lack of involvement by fathers. The song helps combat these issues by valuing the autonomy and power of women with Tupac acknowledging the positive influence of his own mother in his life. Other social commentary includes the low budget for welfare, the feeling of despair in youth, and the dangers of crime and violence. Tupac also calls for African Americans to maintain their pride through the constant refrain, "Keep ya head up."

This page was created in November 2010 with analytical content written by Aileen Patimeteeporn, Heidi Wang, Naomi Takaki, Esther Gonzalez, Cynthia Lee, and Shannon Coyne. The website pages were created by Heidi Wang and Shannon Coyne. The layout template was provided by Professor Matthaei.