The Stones that the Builder Refused
Mother Africa lost her children to the sea
Scattered abroad and sold into slavery
Bound, shackled, and twice chained
Sins of the father has surely remained
Loving families we left behind
Betrayed and Sold by our own kind
These things sometimes makes me upset
Those things I can never ever forget
Like cattle lead to the slaughter
On auction blocks sold as barter
Hated, mistreated, and despised
Made lame, crippled, and then criticized
Battered and bruised dogs set upon
Skin baked in the sun for we are Teflon
In the fields we chanted a psalm
Now we’re told to go back where you came from
Nowhere to go for we no longer belong
Through captivity we’ve remain ever strong
We make you dance and now you want to be us too
You cannot be me nor I could ever be you
High on the hill you roast the sow
We’ve made you rich by the sweat of our brow
Good enough to die for you as martyrs
Yet not good enough to marry your daughters
It is here I was born
You still look at me with a scorn
Like I have stolen all your corn
From my back my clothing’s torn
Hands tired and limbs worn
I am the tree grown from an acorn
You cannot conquer me
I am one with the almighty
Take it all in and make sure it is well digested
You’ve claimed all that I have manifested
In us you have long divested
In us you are not interested
Shiftless and lazy we’ve been accused
On stage by us you’ve been amused
Your entire history you’ve been confused
For far too long we’ve been abused
Never more shall we be used
We are the stones that the builder refused
(August 6,2011)
poem by Wilfred Mellers

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Related quotes
The Farewell of a Virginia Slave Mother
Of A Virginia Slave Mother To Her Daughters Sold Into Southern Bondage
Gone, gone, - sold and gone
To the rice-swamp dank and lone.
Where the slave-whip ceaseless swings
Where the noisome insect stings
Where the fever demon strews
Poison with the falling dews
Where the sickly sunbeams glare
Through the hot and misty air;
Gone, gone, - sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
From Virginia's hills and waters;
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!
Gone, gone, - sold and gone
To the rice-swamp dank and lone
There no mother's eye is near them,
There no mother's ear can hear them;
Never, when the torturing lash
Seams their back with many a gash
Shall a mother's kindness bless them
Or a mother's arms caress them.
Gone, gone, - sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
From Virginia's hills and waters;
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!
Gone, gone, - sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
Oh, when weary, sad, and slow,
From the fields at night they go
Faint with toil, and racked with pain
To their cheerless homes again,
There no brother's voice shall greet them
There no father's welcome meet them.
Gone, gone, - sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
From Virginia's hills and waters;
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!
Gone, gone, - sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone
From the tree whose shadow lay
On their childhood's place of play;
From the cool spring where they drank;
Rock, and hill, and rivulet bank;
From the solemn house of prayer,
And the holy counsels there;
Gone, gone, - sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
From Virginia's hills and waters;
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!
Gone, gone, - sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone;
Toiling through the weary day,
And at night the spoiler's prey.
Oh, that they had earlier died,
Sleeping calmly, side by side,
Where the tyrant's power is o'er
And the fetter galls no more!
Gone, gone, - sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone;
From Virginia's hills and waters
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!
Gone, gone, - sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone;
By the holy love He beareth;
By the bruised reed He spareth;
Oh, may He, to whom alone
All their cruel wrongs are known,
Still their hope and refuge prove,
With a more than mother's love.
Gone, gone, - sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
From Virginia's hills and waters;
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!
poem by John Greenleaf Whittier

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The Farewell
Of A Virginia Slave Mother To Her Daughters Sold Into Southern Bondage
Gone, gone, -- sold and gone
To the rice-swamp dank and lone.
Where the slave-whip ceaseless swings
Where the noisome insect stings
Where the fever demon strews
Poison with the falling dews
Where the sickly sunbeams glare
Through the hot and misty air;
Gone, gone, -- sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
From Virginia's hills and waters;
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!
Gone, gone, -- sold and gone
To the rice-swamp dank and lone
There no mother's eye is near them,
There no mother's ear can hear them;
Never, when the torturing lash
Seams their back with many a gash
Shall a mother's kindness bless them
Or a mother's arms caress them.
Gone, gone, -- sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
From Virginia's hills and waters;
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!
Gone, gone, -- sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
Oh, when weary, sad, and slow,
From the fields at night they go
Faint with toil, and racked with pain
To their cheerless homes again,
There no brother's voice shall greet them
There no father's welcome meet them.
Gone, gone, -- sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
From Virginia's hills and waters;
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!
Gone, gone, -- sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone
From the tree whose shadow lay
On their childhood's place of play;
From the cool sprmg where they drank;
Rock, and hill, and rivulet bank;
From the solemn house of prayer,
And the holy counsels there;
Gone, gone, -- sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
From Virginia's hills and waters;
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!
Gone, gone, -- sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone;
Toiling through the weary day,
And at night the spoiler's prey.
Oh, that they had earlier died,
Sleeping calmly, side by side,
Where the tyrant's power is o'er
And the fetter galls no more!
Gone, gone, -- sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone;
From Virginia's hills and waters
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!
Gone, gone, -- sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone;
By the holy love He beareth;
By the bruised reed He spareth;
Oh, may He, to whom alone
All their cruel wrongs are known,
Still their hope and refuge prove,
With a more than mother's love.
Gone, gone, -- sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
From Virginia's hills and waters;
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!
poem by John Greenleaf Whittier

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Drops of shame
In this tradition of hypocrisy,
Rich sea of shams,
Virtue hides behind sanctimony,
Watch dogs are drooling at the prize,
The sins dine on a golden platter,
Simplicity lies shattered,
Truth bound in iron chains,
Chained to the legs of blind rats
Love lives in schools
Patience in monastery
Compassion in the books
Innocence is lost at birth
Sex is sold for ego
Lust is sold for cents
Honesty lies six feet below the ground
Farmers weep, worms they reap
There is no beauty beyond makeup
It is December before June
Racism hides below the skin
Friendship wears a pacemaker
Children are born out of mistakes
Freedom grins in an invisible cage
Greed rules the day
The saints don’t have a say
Bitter is the sweat on failure’s skin
Death dwells in denial
Beyond this and that
In this empty world
There is nothing more
And nothing less
Of course Other than shame,
Drops of shame drops of shame.
poem by Reshma Ramesh

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Song of The Coffle Gang
This song is said to be sung by Slaves, as they are chained in gangs,
when parting from friends for the far off South-children taken from
parents, husbands from wives, and brothers from sisters.
See these poor souls from Africa,
Transported to America:
We are stolen, and sold to Georgia, will you go along with me?
We are stolen and sold to Georgia, go sound the jubilee.
See wives and husbands sold apart,
The children's screams!-it breaks my heart;
There's a better day a coming, will you go along with me?
There's a better day a coming, go sound the jubilee.
O, gracious Lord? when shall it be,
That we poor souls shall all be free?
Lord, break them Slavery powers-will you go along with me?
Lord, break them Slavery powers, go sound the jubilee.
Dear Lord! dear Lord! when Slavery'll cease,
Then we poor souls can have our peace;
There's a better day a coming, will you go along with me?
There's a better day a coming, go sound the jubilee.
poem by Anonymous Americas

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Three yards up the road
When your great-great-Grandmother
sold across the brush of cotton
was singing songs of Africa
and working under lash and lock
and yoke the white man slaver set
the child in England shivered
Silently as Dada died or Mama died
she moved to separation from her own
became a Parish burden picking oakum
was sold to northern mills in groups of slaves
locked inside forbidding winter temples
stocking dross the Parish sent away
When your great-great-Grandmother
sold by stronger tribes in Africa
to make them rich and build their acres
to feed the rich man's people hunger
passing cramped across the ocean
watching daily deaths - or hourly
the child in England shivered
Wearing worn out summer clothing
shoeless in the depths of winter
working fourteen hours unstopping
Hunger semi-slaked by gruel slops
in mills where childhood took a beating
When your great-great-Grandmother
had her babies traded from her
on plantations where the working time was long
and overseers beat and sometimes killed
and raped and pillaged every woman
drunken eyes could squander
the beaten child devoid of mother
dragged a body dwarfed by starving
mis-shapen from the broken bones untreated
locked inside her working prison
sealed at night with others in a tomb
where straw - and other ill-used bodies - comforted
And you can say and lift your head
When my great-great-Grandmother
was taken out of Africa by white men
she ceased her African-African slavery
began her slavery to white men
Then you turn and call me racist
And I have nothing more to say
except my great-great-Grandmother
having parents dead or starving
was a burden on the Parish of her birth
which sold her into untold desolation
in a country which pretended to be kind
and left her slave and starving
as a cog inside an Empire
where the rich grew richer still
on the blood of starving children
out of Africa or three yards up the road
poem by Charlotte Peters Rock

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Gods Children
Man made the buildings that reach for the sky
And man made the motorcar and learned how to fly
But he didnt make the flowers and he didnt make the trees
And he didnt make you and he didnt make me
And he got no right to turn us into machines
Hes got no right at all
cause we are all gods children
And he got no right to change us
Oh, we gotta go back the way the good lord made us all
Dont want this world to change me
I wanna go back the way the good lord made me
Same lungs that he gave me to breath with
Same eyes he gave me to see with
Oh, the rich man, the poor man, the saint and the sinner
The wise man, the simpleton, the loser and the winner
We are all the same to him
Stripped of our clothes and all the things we own
The day that we are born
We are all gods children
And they got no right to change us
Oh, we gotta go back the way the good lord made
Oh, the good lord made us all
And we are all his children
And they got no right to change us
Oh, we gotta go back the way the good lord made us all
Yeah, we gotta go back the way the good lord made us all
song performed by by Kinks

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sold Me Out
I always knew that theyd get me somehow sooner or later,
But with a bullet in the head, a knife in the back,
Not a pocket calculator.
Sorry mister, youre all wiped up,
Youre all washed up,
Sold you out.
Got no dreams, got no ambition,
Cant decide, cause theres no decision,
Got no claim to any position,
Cant compete with the competition.
Youre always complaining,
Its so depressing,
But if youre old enough,
Start to confess it.
You say, you sold me out,
To get a better deal for yourself,
You sold me out,
And now we want some of your precious wealth,
Because you sold me out.
Sold me out,
Sold me out,
Sold me out.
You sold me out,
To get a better deal for yourself.
You sold me out,
And now its every man for himself.
Work all your life, put the money in the bank,
Sign on the dotted line.
Try to draw it out, the jokes on you,
Put up the empty sign.
Sorry mister, were all sold out.
Sold me out,
Sold me out,
Sold me out,
Sold me out.
You, Im talkin to you.
You sold me out,
To get a better deal for yourself.
You sold me out,
And now we want some of your precious wealth.
And sell you out,
Like you sold me out.
Are you in so deep, that you cant get out?
Got no dreams, got no ambition,
Cant decide, cause theres no decision,
Got no claim to any position,
Cant compete with the competition.
Sold me out,
Sold me out,
Sold me out,
Sold me out.
(repeat)
song performed by by Kinks

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Courtroom Is Empty
the courtroom is empty,
the gavel untouched.
no hands on the book,
no jury of twelve.
(and the hands of the clock
have stopped!)
small children killed, tossed in the trash,
women abused, old people hungry, alone.
young girls sold into slavery
young boys sold into war
homeless ghosts walk the halls,
without hope in man or God.
and there's no sound, no feeling,
not even a breath of air
(and the hands of the clock
have stopped!)
an American tragedy,
or just human tragedy.
justice bought and sold,
afforded by just the few.
the wheels of Wall Street turn,
politicians barter with lives.
drinking the blood of the babies
that will never be born!
the takers keep taking,
and the honest man falls
to die nameless in the ditch,
covered by ashes and dust.
and there's no sound, no feeling,
not even a breath of air.
(the hands of the clock
have stopped!)
the courtroom is empty
poem by Eric Cockrell

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Swallowed In The Sea
You cut me down a tree and brought it back to me
and thats what made me see where I was going wrong
You put me on a shelf and kept me for yourself
I can only blame myself, you can only blame me
and I could write a song a hundred miles long
Well thats where I belong and you belong with me
and I could write it down or spread it all around
Get lost and then get found or swallowed in the sea
You put me on a line and hung me out to dry
Darling thats when I decided to go to see you
You cut me down to size and opened up my eyes
Made me realize what I could not see
and I could write a book, the one they'll say that shook the world
and then it took, it took it back from me
and I could write it down and spread it all around
Get lost and then get found and you'll come back to me
Not swallowed in the sea
Oohhhhh Ahhhhhh
and I could write a song a hundred miles long
Well thats where I belong and you belong with me
The streets youre walking on, a thousand houses long
Well thats where I belong and you belong with me
Oh what good is it to live with nothing left to give
Forget but not forgive, not loving all you see
Oh the streets youre walking on a thousand houses long
Well thats where I belong and you belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea
You belong with me, not swallowed in the sea
Yeah you belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea.
song performed by by Coldplay

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Never Been Sold Before
You ask me, babe, "Can you work tonight?"
I've been up, babe, since broad daylight
I just can't believe that you're selling me,
You never sold me before
I just can't become your lousy who-o-ore
Yeah, I'm stacked nice, they really like my style
Fifty bucks, babe, ha, can't even buy my smile
I just can't believe that you're selling me,
You never sold me before
I just can't become your lousy who-o-ore
I-I-I-I find I come around just to lay this money on you, babe
I'm sick of streets, chicks and dicks, and I'm,
I'm really sick of you
Oh-oh, I've never been sold before
And I'll never be had again
Oh-oh, I've never been sold before
And I'll never be had a-gain
I just can't believe that you're selling me,
You never sold me befo-ore
I just can't become your little whore
No, no, no, no
Oh, I've never been sold before
And I'll never be had again
Oh-oh, I've never been sold before
And I'll never be had a-gain
Oh, I've never been sold before
And I'll never be had again
Oh-oh, I've never been sold before
And I'll never be had a-gain
Oh, I've never been sold before
And I'll never be had again
Oh-oh, I've never been sold before
And I'll never be had a-gain
Oh, I've never been sold before
And I'll never be had again
Oh-oh, I've never been sold before
And I'll never be had a-gain
Oh, I've never been sold before
And I'll never be had again
Oh-oh, I've never been sold before
And I'll never be had a-gain
song performed by by Alice Cooper

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Man Who Sold The World (live, 1979-12-15: Saturday Night Live)
We passed upon the stair, we spoke of was and when
Although I wasn't there, he said I was his friend
Which came as some surprise I spoke into his eyes
I thought you died alone, a long long time ago
Oh no, not me
I never lost control
You're face to face
With The Man Who Sold The World
I laughed and shook his hand, and made my way back home
I searched for form and land, for years and years I roamed
I gazed a gazely stare at all the millions here
We must have died along, a long long time ago
Who knows? not me
We never lost control
You're face to face
With the Man who Sold the World
Who knows? not me
We never lost control
You're face to face
With the Man who Sold the World
song performed by by David Bowie

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Age
Ive been up and down and around and round and back again
Ive been so many places I cant remember where or when
And my only boss was the clock on the wall and my only friend
Never really was a friend at all
Ive traded love for pennies, sold my soul for less
Lost my ideals in that long tunnel of time
Ive turned inside out and around about and back and then
Found myself right back where I started again
Once I had myself a million, now Ive only got a dime
The diffrence dont seem quite as bad today
With a nickel or a million, I was searching all the time
For something that I never lost or left behind
Ive traded love for pennies, sold my soul for less
Lost my ideals in that long tunnel of time
Ive turned inside out and around about and back and then
Found myself right back where I started again
And now Im in my second circle and Im headin for the top
Ive learned a lot of things along the way
Ill be careful while Im climbin cause it hurts a lot to drop
When your down nobody gives a damn anyway
Ive traded love for pennies, sold my soul for less
Lost my ideals in that long tunnel of time
Ive turned inside out and around about and back and then
Found myself right back where I started again
song performed by by Jim Croce

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Sold My Heart To The Junkman
Intro to: I sold my heart to the junkman
...this is a very sad song, this next song were gonna do.
The song is so sad that sometimes I have to leave the stage and
Cry in the backstage a little bit while Im singing this song. the reason
This song is so sad because this story happened to me just a little
While ago (not true, but true) (audience laughs) and it was, it was
A thing where I met this this beautiful girl, right? was she a
Beautiful girl as she was, she was nice and ... and I gave her my whole
Heart, every every bit, and she gave it back to me a month later all
Beat up, so bad and so terrible looking that
I sold my heart to the junkman !
Now I can never fall in love again....
(starts song)
...song, this is a very sad song, this next
Song were gonna do.
The song is so sad that sometimes I have to
Leave the stage and cry in the backstage a
Little bit while Im singing this song.
The reason this song is so sad because this
Story happened to me just a little while ago
(not true, but true) (audience laughs)
And it was, it was a thing where I met this
This beautiful girl, right? was she a
Beautiful girl as she was, she was nice and ...
And I gave her my whole heart, every every bit,
And she gave it back to me a month later all
Beat up, so bad and
So terrible looking that
I sold my heart to the junkman !
Now I can never fall in love again....
Well I gave my heart to you, open, so open and trusting
And you gave it back to me, it was broken up and busting
(sold my heart) I sold my heart to the junkman
(sold my heart) I sold my heart to the junkman
I can never fall in love again
Oh and I know you took my heart, you thought that you
Could use it
When you gave it back like a toy
You broken and bruised
(sold my heart) I sold my heart to the junkman
(I sold my heart) I sold my heart to the junkman
I can never fall in love again
Now, it was a movie sad scene, I played my part
Ooh I wanted the happy ending, but all I got was
A broken heart
(all he got was a broken heart)
(I sold my heart) I sold my heart to the junkman(I sold my heart) I sold my
Heart to the junkman
I can never fall in love again
Now I swear it was a movie setting, baby I played my part
And all I wanted was a happy ending,
But now Im left with a broken heart
(now hes left with a broken heart)
(I sold my heart) I sold my heart to the junkman
(I sold my heart) I sold my heart to the junkman
I can never fall in love again
I gave my heart to you, so open and trusting
And you gave it back to me, it was broken up and busting
(so I sold) I sold my heart to the junkman
(yes I sold) I sold my heart to the junkman
I can never fall in love again
Yes I did sold my heart to the junkman
Yes I did, yes I did
Sold my heart to the junkman
Now I can never fall in love again
Since I sold my heart to the junkman.
song performed by by Bruce Springsteen

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Bought And Sold
Bought and sold.
Bought,
And sold.
Bought and sold...
As if no feelings I keep.
But deep inside I'm touched.
Nothing here is cheaply rushed.
Bought and sold...
On what to me has been told.
Not me I'm not of mush.
Nor easily crushed to dust.
Excesses on the cheapness of life,
Has made a weakness increase...
And,
Bought and sold.
Bought,
And sold.
Bought and sold.
Too many given anything.
Just to say they've gotten a piece,
To be...
Bought and sold.
Bought and sold...
On what to me has been told.
Not me I'm not of mush.
Nor easily crushed to dust.
Bought and sold...
As if no feelings I keep.
But deep inside I'm touched.
Nothing here is cheaply rushed.
Too many people take for granted and accept too easily.
To be sold,
On what they're told.
Too many people take for granted and accept too easily.
Bought and sold,
On what they're told.
Too many people take for granted and accept too easily.
To be sold,
On what they're told.
Bought and sold,
On what they're told.
Just...
To sell.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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A Cry For My Mama Land
It is 1.50 a.m.
And sleep evades me….because I weep for my motherland!
Sons of Africa,
Daughters of Africa,
Awaken: you have slumbered so long.
Look at the cloudless skies that cover your motherland,
Look at the leafless trees….the barrenness that fills the atmosphere
Look at the evolving deserts, that swallow up your birthright
Listen to the cry of your sons and daughters,
Empty stomachs, jiggered feet, tatters for clothes…..barely enough education if any
Feel the desperation of this land,
Feel the emptiness that engulfs our cradle
See the vanishing green,
See the greed that exists,
oh daughters and sons of Africa!
For how long shall we sit and watch?
While Africa destroys herself?
For how long shall we be divided on the basis of our ethnicity?
Instead of using out diversity as our strength?
For how long shall we be misguided: by our very own kinsmen?
Instead of standing for our own convictions?
For how long shall micro-nationalism take the place of nationhood?
For how long shall we be brainwashed? manipulated? Brainwashed?
For how long will our collective hard-worn freedom and independence be a luxury of only few?
Tell me daughters and sons of Africa, for how long, shall we wallow in the miasma of poverty?
Not anymore, sons and daughters of Africa, nay not anymore!
Because all I need is several more hearts sold to the cause of this continent.
A few souls who will dare dream, of a land that mama Africa could be!
A few who will raise their voices in the streets and condemn: evil, greed, selfishness,
At the expense of their comfort, and even their lives!
Just dream with me,
Mmmh…aaaah….Economic stability, oneness, food security,
Sound leadership, quality and affordable education, employment opportunities,
Good affordable healthcare, good governance policies, …….clean air!
Look at our land, beautiful, divine!
The proud white peaked mountains,
The meandering bold rivers,
The ever peaceful lakes,
The diverse wild life,
The rich culture and heritage,
The diversity of her people,
The dynamism and creativity,
The artstic value that equals none other
A land so battered…..but still ever so giving!
If you are a true son of Africa
If you are a true daughter of Africa
I dare you to pause…and think of what mother Africa can be: ought to be!
And purpose in your spirit to break war on anyone who intimidates your mama
Raise the spear of resolution high,
And the sword of determination higher,
For ours is a land we must jealously guard.
You and me….are all we need.
To dream, and to actualize our dream…….
Of setting Africa ‘s record straight
We have borrowed long enough,
Made ourselves look like we are lesser of the lot
We let our pride be trampled over
But that ends about now
I sell my soul to Mama Africa
Because the potential I see in this land: baffles me!
The resources we have been blessed with are second to none:
And the good lord has a soft spot for Africa,
And he heeds our cry, and that of our children
I witness how strong we are:
How strong a resolve we have
How versatile we are
How brave we are
How tolerant we are:
Sons and Daughters of Africa I salute you
From Libya to Ghana
From South Africa to Egypt
From Chad to Algiers
From Kenya to Namibia
From Mauritius to Mozambique
We are one nation,
A unique people
Lets not give up on our motherland,
But in our own Individual selves…acknowledge the power we possess
To heal our abused mother:
Let’s nurse her Daughters of Africa,
Let’s nurse her wounds
Lets fight for her sons of Africa
Until she can be able to return the love once more.
In your little ways……you can do big things….or do small things in a big way
Lets fight this worm called corruption
Lat’s strangle the thread of ethnic and religious politics that divide us
Lets fight for our motherland.
Arise and shine Africa
For your light has come,
And your sons and daughters gather to coma back and fight for you
Raise your shoulders high,
And rejoice in your being!
Shine, shine, shine……
For you best days are ahead
Dawn will break forth soon,
And the birth of a new era will wash you anew
But the battle has not been won yet…..but it will be over soon!
You know what ails you, and you have the right weapons….
So seize the moment….and free thine self out of thine own slavery!
You ungrateful selfish brothers and sisters of ours
You who only think of yourselves
Of grabbing more of our land, or inflinging on the rights of the minority,
Of using public resources for your won pleasure,
You who belittle us, and fatten your bank accounts while ours diminish……..your term ends now!
Slowly this message will reverberate thought the land
And sooner or later,
We shall catch up with you!
You have taken too much from us
Its payback time: for all the assault on mama Africa
You shall not cower us anymore
We shall not let you intimidate us
I maybe one,
But here and now: I will start
In the hope that my fight for mother Africa,
Will create ripples of peace, love, unity of purpose and courage in they that hear this gospel,
I love you mama Africa, I will love you with my very last breath
And though iam one, I will leave a legacy for Africa and her children,
Or die trying……
So help me God!
poem by Mukami Mbaabu

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Stolen
Let truth be told
Until its sold
Silence is golden
Too bad its all been stolen
Stolen! stolen! stolen!
Our defense is your defense
Your defense in some sense
Some sensless way unfolded
Folded cause its all been stolen
Stolen! stolen! stolen!
The gilded scale was burning
Just as your back was turning
Just as our trust was leaving
Youd have us all believing
These truths we hold
Self-evident
Bought and sold
The more you hunt the more I sing
Then quickly rewrite everything
Truth returns bloated, swollen
Then dissapears - its been stolen!
Stolen!
The gilded scale was burning
Just as your back was turning
Just as our trust was leaving
Youd have us all believing
These truths we hold
Self-evident
Bought and sold
Its all been stolen! [x2]
song performed by by Ministry

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Negro Mother
Children, I come back today
To tell you a story of the long dark way
That I had to climb, that I had to know
In order that the race might live and grow.
Look at my face -- dark as the night --
Yet shining like the sun with love's true light.
I am the dark girl who crossed the red sea
Carrying in my body the seed of the free.
I am the woman who worked in the field
Bringing the cotton and the corn to yield.
I am the one who labored as a slave,
Beaten and mistreated for the work that I gave --
Children sold away from me, I'm husband sold, too.
No safety , no love, no respect was I due.
Three hundred years in the deepest South:
But God put a song and a prayer in my mouth .
God put a dream like steel in my soul.
Now, through my children, I'm reaching the goal.
Now, through my children, young and free,
I realized the blessing deed to me.
I couldn't read then. I couldn't write.
I had nothing, back there in the night.
Sometimes, the valley was filled with tears,
But I kept trudging on through the lonely years.
Sometimes, the road was hot with the sun,
But I had to keep on till my work was done:
I had to keep on! No stopping for me --
I was the seed of the coming Free.
I nourished the dream that nothing could smother
Deep in my breast -- the Negro mother.
I had only hope then , but now through you,
Dark ones of today, my dreams must come true:
All you dark children in the world out there,
Remember my sweat, my pain, my despair.
Remember my years, heavy with sorrow --
And make of those years a torch for tomorrow.
Make of my pass a road to the light
Out of the darkness, the ignorance, the night.
Lift high my banner out of the dust.
Stand like free men supporting my trust.
Believe in the right, let none push you back.
Remember the whip and the slaver's track.
Remember how the strong in struggle and strife
Still bar you the way, and deny you life --
But march ever forward, breaking down bars.
Look ever upward at the sun and the stars.
Oh, my dark children, may my dreams and my prayers
Impel you forever up the great stairs --
For I will be with you till no white brother
Dares keep down the children of the Negro Mother.
poem by Langston Hughes

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Sold
(richard fagan/robb royer)
Well i went down to the grundy county auction
Where i saw something i just had to have
My mind told me i should proceed with caution
But my heart said, "go ahead an' make a bid on that!"
An' i said, hey, pretty lady, won'cha gi'me a sign
I'd give anything to make you mine all mine
I'll do your biddin' an' be at your beckon call
Yeah, i never seen anyone lookin' so fine
Man, i gotta have her, she's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice,
I'm sold! on the lady in the second row
She's an eight, she's a nine, she's a ten, i know
She's got ruby red lips, blond hair, blue eyes
An' i'm about to bid my heart good-bye!
Well, the auctioneer was goin' about a mile a minute
He was takin' bids an' callin' them out loud
An' i guess i was really gettin' in it
'cause i just shouted out above the crowd!
An' i said, hey, pretty lady, won'cha gi'me a sign
I'd give anything to make you mine all mine
I'll do your biddin' an' be at your beckon call
Yeah, i never seen anyone lookin' so fine
Man, i gotta have her, she's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice,
I'm sold! on the lady in the long black dress
Well she won my heart it was no contest
With her ruby red lips, blond hair, blue eyes
Well i'm about to bid my heart good-bye!
Yeah, we found love on the auction block
An' i hauled her heart away
Now we still love to laugh about
The way we met that day
When i said, hey, pretty lady, won'cha gi'me a sign
I'd give anything to make you mine all mine
I'll do your biddin' an' be at your beckon call
Yeah, i never seen anyone lookin' so fine
Man, i gotta have her, she's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice,
I'm sold! on the lady in the second row
She's an eight, she's a nine, she's a ten, i know
Shes's got ruby red lips, blond hair blue eyes
An' i'm about to bid my heart good-bye!
song performed by by John Michael Montgomery

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Children Of The Night
All that I know in my life,
I have learned on the street
No magic carpet, no genie, no shoes on my feet
Will I wake up from this nightmare?
A fear that chills me to the bone
Though I may be one of many
I feel so all alone
We are the children of the night
We wont go down without a fight
Our voice is strong, our futures bright
And thanks to what we learned from you
Weve grown into the children of the night
Left by my father with only this scar on my face
Told by my mother that,
no, you were just a mistake
I have tasted my own hunger
Sold my body to survive
Some have paid to scratch the surface
But they cant touch whats inside
We are the children of the night
We wont go down without a fight
Our voice is strong, our futures bright
And thanks to what we learned from you
Weve grown into the children of the night
How I long for something better
Than this life I know too well
Lord, I know Im bound for heaven
Cause Ive done my time in hell
We are the children of the night
We wont go down without a fight
Our voice is strong, our futures bright
And thanks to what we learned from you
Weve grown into the children of the night
song performed by by Richard Marx

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Jesus Doesnt Want Me For A Sunbeam
(by the vaselines)
Jesus, dont want me for a sunbeam
Sunbeams are not made like me
Dont expect me to cry,
For wrong reasons, you have to die
Dont ever ask it out of me.
Dont expect me to lie
Dont expect me to lie
Dont expect me to die, for me.
--the man who sold the world
(by david bowie)
We passed upon the stair, we spoke of was and when
Although I wasnt there, he said I was his friend
Which came as some surprise I spoke into his eyes
I thought you died alone, a long long time ago
Oh no, not me
I never lost control
Youre face to face
With the man who sold the world
I laughed and shook hishand, and made my way back home
I searched for form and land, for years and years I roamed
I gazed a gazley stare at all the millions here
We must have died along, a long long time ago
Who knows? not me
We never lost control
Youre face to face
With the man who sold the world
song performed by by Nirvana

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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