John Lewis Bridge
i'd like to sing to you about two politicians
from the state of Alabama way down south very different ideas formed in each man’s brain very different words came out of each man’s mouth first I’ll sing about one Edmund Pettus who had led Confederate troops in the Civil War then later he became Grand Dragon of the KKK a man of racial hatred to the core to the core now they elected Edmund Pettus to the Senate represented Alabama till he died his credentials as a KKK Grand Dragon were for many at that time a source of twisted pride next I’ll sing about the man John Lewis Lewis was from Alabama too ah, but Lewis was a black man, he grew up with Jim Crow laws made by folks like Pettus, yes it’s true all too true John Lewis fought against racial division and the system of apartheid he lived under and he too was elected to the Senate where he did his best to tear that hate asunder but years before John had been elected he marched across a bridge, nineteen and sixty five he led a group of righteous folk who only sought their freedom the right to live their lives, not just survive to live in freedom to live in freedom now as it happened that old bridge in Alabama was named for Edmund Pettus, don’t you see how perfect then, that peaceful marchers trying to cross that bridge were attacked so viciously police beat John Lewis with their fearsome riot sticks in a fog of tear gas he was brutalized and just like Edmund Pettus and his old time racist friends the police showed their hatred, clear and undisguised, undisguised proud of their hatred now people, a bridge is something that we use to cross a river to get ourselves from one side to another and a bridge is often what we need to conquer the divisions between you and your sister and your brother so why is that bridge down there in Selma Alabama still named for Edmund Pettus, that’s just wrong it’s time to give that bridge a new name, that would be "John Lewis" that’s what I want to say here in this song John Lewis Bridge John Lewis Bridge John Lewis Bridge John Lewis Bridge John Lewis Bridge John Lewis Bridge John Lewis Bridge John Lewis Bridge |
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