The Ballad of Medgar Evers (Too Many Martyrs)

from Of Hard Times & Harmony by Windborne

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lyrics

In the state of Mississippi many years ago
A boy of 14 years got a taste of southern law
He saw his friend a hanging and his color was his crime
And the blood upon his jacket left a brand upon his mind

Too many martyrs and too many dead
Too many lies, too many empty words were said
Too many times, too many angry men
Oh let it never be again

His name was Medgar Evers and he walked his road alone
Like Emmett Till and thousands more whose names we’ll never know
They tried to burn his home and they beat him to the ground
But deep inside they both knew what it took to bring him down

(Chorus)

The killer waited by his home hidden out of sight
The police that always followed Evers disappeared that night
The killer squeezed the trigger, the bullet left his side
It struck the heart of everyone when Evers fell and died.

(Chorus)

And they laid him in his grave while the bugle sounded clear
Laid him in his grave when the victory was near
While we waited for the future for freedom through the land
The country gained a killer and the country lost a man

(Chorus)

We waited for that future for that liberating day
We ignored our own complicity and didn’t change our ways
Some claim that they are colorblind but color’s still a crime
And the victims of the violence leave a brand upon our mind

Their names were Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Sandra Bland
Breonna Taylor, Freddie Gray, George Floyd and Joseph Mann
Eric Garner and so many more who cannot breathe
Each name not just one person but communities bereaved

They were not martyrs but victims of hate
Dismissed and dehumanized, no justice from the state
Killed at the hands of so many angry men
Oh let it never be again

credits

from Of Hard Times & Harmony, released December 2, 2022
Phil Ochs & Bob Gibson, copyright Barricade Music inc / Robert Josiah Music
Additional lyrics by Windborne

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