My great grandfather
Back in Lake Provence, Louisiana
He was lynched
Not only was he lynched
They took his body, and they tore it apart, and they went to his wife, Martha Jones
And told her where she could find her husband.
Poor, poor Martha
Poor Martha… poor Martha Jones
She got to go downtown
Oooh she got to go, she got to go and find him, her husband.
They came to the door
The took him, they took him away
And hung him!
The hung him from, the hung him form the highest tree
They tore… they tore his poor body… they tore his poor body apart
Oh they tore… they tore his poor body apart.
Poor, poor Martha
Poor Saint Martha Jones
Poor, poor... poor Martha
She got to go
She got to go and find
She got to go and find him
She got to got to got to go and find her husband.
She walking all over town
She walking, she walking, she walking all over town
She dragging... alllllll!!!
She dragging that thing behind her
She got to go
She got to go and find her husband
Poor Martha
Poor Saint Martha.
She got to go
She got to go
She got to... she got to... she got to... she got to ... she got to
She got to go and find him
She got to... she got to go...
Back in Lake Provence, Louisiana
He was lynched
Not only was he lynched
They took his body, and they tore it apart, and they went to his wife, Martha Jones
And told her where she could find her husband.
Poor, poor Martha
Poor Martha… poor Martha Jones
She got to go downtown
Oooh she got to go, she got to go and find him, her husband.
They came to the door
The took him, they took him away
And hung him!
The hung him from, the hung him form the highest tree
They tore… they tore his poor body… they tore his poor body apart
Oh they tore… they tore his poor body apart.
Poor, poor Martha
Poor Saint Martha Jones
Poor, poor... poor Martha
She got to go
She got to go and find
She got to go and find him
She got to got to got to go and find her husband.
She walking all over town
She walking, she walking, she walking all over town
She dragging... alllllll!!!
She dragging that thing behind her
She got to go
She got to go and find her husband
Poor Martha
Poor Saint Martha.
She got to go
She got to go
She got to... she got to... she got to... she got to ... she got to
She got to go and find him
She got to... she got to go...
Contributed by Bernart Bartleby - 2017/6/5 - 21:03
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Parole e musica di Otis Taylor
Nel suo album del 2001 intitolato “White African”
Testo trovato in parte su “Strange Fruit: An Experience”, una ricerca di Héctor Martínez su musica nera e segregazionismo, in parte su “Seems Like Murder Here: Southern Violence and the Blues Tradition”, un saggio di Adam Gussow pubblicato dalla Chicago University nel 2010.
Il bisnonno di Otis Taylor fu linciato in Lousiana. Taylor compose questa canzone in onore suo e della bisnonna Martha, costretta con le sue sole forze a tirare giù dall'albero dove i bianchi l'avevano impiccato il corpo del marito e a dargli sepoltura...