Southern Heroes
One day the South will recognize its real heroes,
Martin Luther King Jr wrote a letter to white men from jail,
Who would rather that the courts settle racial segregation,
Where white judges make sure that they don't prevail.
After years of always hearing the word 'wait',
Which almost always meant never instead,
The bomb that exploded a church filled with children,
All for not being what the white men considered 'purebred'.
One day, the South will have to see the real heroes,
Like the man fresh from war when he took a bus to go home
Corporal Roman Duckworth Jr went to see his sick wife,
Killed because they thought he was a freedom rider who didn’t drone.
A full measure of truth and justice,
Is what they wanted to figure out
So many heroes like Dahmer killed,
Who gave a job to any colour without any doubt.
And what about Mrs Viola Liuzzo?
The amazing woman who was transporting
Those who needed a ride between marches,
Shot for being someone supporting.
Both sides had many supporters
But if the Klan was so good and so great,
And all the blacks wanted was to vote,
Why did they feel the need to retaliate?
They killed innocent kids,
Destroyed families aplenty,
They chose to make examples
Of many more then twenty.
But what good is a group,
Who only live to make the world 'pure',
What's the point of having someone
Who explains how to kill in a brochure.
Would you listen to the men
Who shot Reverend George Lee,
The man who convinced people to vote,
The man whose face became debris.
So why, why did they listen?
To the crazy power hungry Klan,
Turning their backs on the cries
Voiced by blacks when hurt by the white man.
Will one day the South learn of the true heroes?
One day, will they respect and honour the truth?
Will there be justice and peace for the restless souls
Plenty of whom were killed in the bloom of youth.
The true heroes are not the ones still standing,
But the ones who died for their beliefs,
The ones who stood tall like the hat of the KKK,
And didn’t back down from the life-taking sneak thieves.
The leader of the bunch was quite a man of speech,
Dr Martin Luther King Jr had a dream,
With his powerful voice he shared that dream
Let freedom ring, let them scream!
Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
A/N: This was for my Writer's Craft final project. I did it on the Civil Rights Movement, against the KKK. Now, it was supposed to be a ballad, but I wanted more of a truthful thing, so I changed it from your typical ballad, and now it's sort of a free verse ballad.
Please review or message me, I'd love to know what you think about this.
Thanks,
Dani
poem by Danielle Schneider
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Related quotes
White Boys & Heroes
Were in the movies
Were heroes
We sparkle at night
Love among puppets
And one day
Ill pull all the strings
White boys and heroes
White boys and heroes
See boys say Im mayhem
Was my wife the doctor
The patient
Or something obscene
A history of nothing
Like a see-through song in disguise
Heroes are tough
And have no time
For women and boys
I wont cry
Till this thing is over
And someone agrees
White boys and heroes
White boys and heroes
See boys say Im mayhem
White boys and heroes
We have no time for celebration
We have no time left at all
White boys and heroes
song performed by by Gary Numan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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White Boys And Heroes
We're in the movies
We're heroes
We sparkle at night
Love among puppets
And one day
I'll pull all the strings
White boys and heroes
White boys and heroes
See boys say I'm mayhem
Was my wife the doctor
The patient
Or something obscene
A history of nothing
Like a see-through song in disguise
Heroes are tough
And have no time
For women and boys
I won't cry
Till this thing is over
And someone agrees
White boys and heroes
White boys and heroes
See boys say I'm mayhem
White boys and heroes
We have no time for celebration
We have no time left at all
White boys and heroes
G. Webb Jan '82
song performed by by Gary Numan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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They Killed Him
There was a man named mahatma ghandi
He would not bow down, he would not fight
He knew the deal was down and dirty
And nothing wrong could make it right away
But he knew his duty, and the price he had to pay
Just another holy man who tried to make a stand
My god, they killed him !
Another man from atlanta, georgia
By the name of martin luther king
He shook the land like rolling thunder
And made the bells of freedom ring today
With a dream of beauty that they could not burn away
Just another holy man who dared to be a friend
My god, they killed him !
The only son of God almighty
The holy one called jesus christ
Healed the lame and fed the hungry
And for his love they took his life away
On the road to glory where the story never ends
Just the holy son of man well never understand
My god, they killed him !
Sing about mahatma ghandi
Sing of martin luther king
Sing of jesus christ almighty
And the brothers kennedy
song performed by by Kris Kristofferson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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They Killed Him (feat. Memphis Tennesee Police Choir)
There was a man named Mahatma Ghandi
He would not bow down, he would not fight
He knew the deal was down and dirty
And nothing wrong could make it right away
But he knew his duty, and the price he had to pay
Just another holy man who tried to make a stand
MY GOD, THEY KILLED HIM !
Another man from Atlanta, Georgia
By the name of Martin Luther King
He shook the land like rolling thunder
And made the bells of freedom ring today
With a dream of beauty that they could not burn away
Just another holy man who dared to be a friend
MY GOD, THEY KILLED HIM !
The only son of God Almighty
The holy one called Jesus Christ
Healed the lame and fed the hungry
And for his love they took his life away
On the road to glory where the story never ends
Just the holy son of man we'll never understand
MY GOD, THEY KILLED HIM !
Sing about Mahatma Ghandi
Sing of Martin Luther King
Sing Of Jesus Christ Almighty
And the brothers Kennedy
song performed by by Kris Kristofferson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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They Killed Them!
my hero when i was a kid
was Crazy Horse.... they killed him!
my mother wanted me to be
a preacher, so i read about Jesus,
and His life... they killed Him!
when i was nine years old,
and in the fourth grade,
they killed JFK in Dallas....
just before he pulled us
out of the Vietnam lie......
by this time i had questions,
i knew something was wrong....
they went on to kill Martin Luther King,
Robert Kennedy, Malcolm X......
anybody that stood up for
what they believed.....
they killed them!
the fear of ignorant apathy,
the murderer that betrays humanity!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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From Greece To Rome (Part Two)
it took the civil rights movement,
the women's movement,
and the laborer's movement...
led by such as Cesar Chavez,
Martin Luther King, Malcolm X,
James Baldwin, Maya Angelou,
just to mention a few.
imprisonment, beatings, marches,
and many are dead now,
sacrificed to the cause.
JFK warned of secret societies,
wanted to pull out of Vietnam...
his brother Bobby stood up
for justice against the wheel...
both killed by the machine.
over 40,000 killed in Vietnam,
riots in the cities of America.
Nixon lied, America fell into stupor,
and those who believed
became part of the masses.
yet now, a turn for the worse!
/continued/
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Panther Power
Tupac:
As real as it seems the american dream
Aint nuthin but anotha calculated scheme
To keep us locked up and shot up and back in chains
To deny us our future rob our name
Kept our history a mystery but now I see
The american dream wasnt meant for me
cause lady libertys a hypocrite she lied to me
Promised freedom education and ecuality
Never gave be nuthin but slavery
But now look at how dangerous you made me
Callin me a man cause Im strong and bold
With this gumbo of knowledge of the lies you told
Promised me emancipation and a free nation
All you ever gave my people was starvation
The father of our country never cared for me
They kept our ancestors shacked up in slavery
Uncle sam neva did a damm thing for me
Exept lie about the facts in my history
Now Im sittin here mad cause Im unemployed
But the government mad cause they enjoy
When my people are down they just screw us around
Time to change the government now
Panther power
Ray:
Panther powr from the place that resides within
Go to for to with a panther and you just cant win
Self proclaimed best supress the rest
The rich get richer and the poor take less
The american dream was the american nightmare
You kept my people down and refused to fight fair
The ku klux klan tried to keep us out
With signs that state no blacks allowed
With intimidation and segregation
Once would wait for our freedom
But now were impatient
Blacks they others they yell sell out
Freedom equality get out yell out
Dont eva be ashamed of what you are
Its your panther power that makes you a star
Panther power
Tupac:
My mother neva let me forget my history
Hopin that I would set free cahins that were put on me
Wanted to be more than just free
Had to know tha true facts about my history
I couldnt settle for bein a statistic
Couldnt survive in this capitalistic government
cause it was meant to hold us back with ignorance
Drugs and sneak attacks in my community
They killed our unity
But when I charged them they cried immunity
I strike america like a case of heart disease
Panther power is runnin through my arteries
Try to stop me homeboy youll get clawed to death
cause Ill be fightin for my freedom till my dyin breath
Ray:
Do you remember thats what Im askin you
You think youre livin free dont make me laugh at you
Open your eyes realise youve been locked in chains
Said you wasnt civilized and stole your name
cause some time has passed we seem to all firget
Theres no liberty for me and you we aint free yet
Panther power
song performed by by 2 Pac
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Freedom Park
Build your monument to a war
that you have lost at Cuito Cuanavale
and try to deceive the world
about your victory
which was rather your huge loss
and hail Russians and Cubans as your heroes
and we who have paid the cost
knows where victory really laid
and that no bugle ever played its last farewell
to the enemy we sent to hell
and although no one mourns our dead
most of us live on instead.
We do not need to be on any
honour wall
or to be associated
with your heroes
who mowed down people
praying in a church
and set off bombs in the street.
We never lost any battle
nor a war
and our honour is in the lives
of every man, women and child
who in a way are still free.
[Reference: “The results of the campaign up to April 1988 were 4,785 killed on the Cuban/Faplan side, with 94 tanks and hundreds of combat vehicles destroyed, against 31 South Africans killed in action,3 tanks destroyed (SADF tanks entered the war after the Lomba River campaign) and 11 SADF armoured cars and troop carriers lost. A total of 9 Migs were destroyed and only 1 SAAF Mirage shot down.” Jannie Geldenhuys.1994. At the front. P240. Johanathan Ball Publishers.]
poem by Gert Strydom
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I Am (Defiant)
i am, become...
i am the seat on the bus
Rosa Parks would not leave..
i am the fires of anger
when Martin Luther King was killed.
i am the grassy knoll,
where the true killer stood.
i am the Little Bighorn,
and Crazy Horse weeping...
i am the men that built the bombs,
and all the faceless souls screaming
through their long sleepless nights...
i am the brothers that killed each other
in the long Civil War...
i am the slaves set free,
i am the Native Americans sent
to live in poverty on reservations
in the name of a white god...
i am the farm worker exploited,
the coal miner who died...
i am the rats and the filth
of tenements and trailers...
i am the blues hand picked,
moonshine made in the hills...
i am the grandfather who built
his house with his own hands.
i am the rage of the common,
i am America defiant,
i am, become....
poem by Eric Cockrell
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I Want to be a Soldier
I will be a soldier
Only when soldiers realize
They are not animals or
cattles
Only if soldiers can ask
'Why should I shoot that
innocent man? '
I would be a soldier
If soldiers can ask the
commander
'Why should we shoot at
the children? '
I would be a soldier
If soldiers know that
The red blood that runs
through their veins
Runs in the rest peopl's too.
I would be a soldier if
Soldiers know they aren't
what they ask them to be
When they know that
The Emperor will never ask
them to kill his children
I would be a soldier
When soldiers realize war
is inhuman
When soldiers know war
always starts war
When they know that
World peace can not be
reached through war
When United Nations can
ask themselves
Is war the only way to end
corruption in the globe?
When soldiers know the
distance between peace and
war.
When soldiers realize how
intoxicative the gun is.
When soldiers realize
that gun does not control
them, but they control it.
I would be a soldier only if
soldiers know
why Martin Luther King jnr.
was killed.
If they know Adolf Hitler
also tried to make peace
through war.
I would be a soldier
If they can tell me why they
are only trained to kill.
I would be a soldier if
soldier can say
NO TO BRUTE LEADERS.
I would be a soldier if
soldiers know
the difference between
death and birth.
I would be a soldier if they
can tell
Why they are weapons of
destruction?
If they can explain why they
killed at Vietnam?
Why they killed at Somalia?
Why Ghadafi was killed
without trial?
Why Abraham Lincoln was
shot
Why Ghandi was killed,
Why they dont care if they
die in war in the name of
peace.
I would be a soldier If soldiers know they have rights If soldiers know they need Freedom. I would be a soldier If the goverments around the world realize How wonderful the world would be If the money invests in atomic weapons can be spent To feed billions of children on the streets of India, Nigeria, Brazil, South Africa The United States and all the streets of the World. I would be a soldier when soldiers can fight for liberty And not for slavery When soldiers know that nobody should think for them When soldiers know they are humans not cattles, When they realize that nobody should tell them what to think and what to feel. If soldiers can be humans, I would be a soldier.
poem by Idris Adesina
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Heroes
Written by david bowie
I I wish you could swim
Like the dolphins
Like dolphins can swim
Though nothing
Will keep us together
We can beat them
For ever and ever
Oh we can be heroes
Just for one day
I
I will be king
And you
You will be queen
Though nothing will
Drive them away
We can beat them
Just for one day
We can be heroes
Just for one day
I I can remember
Standing
By the wall
And the guns
Shot above our heads
And we kissed
As though nothing could fall
And the shame
Was on the other side
Oh we can beat them
For ever and ever
Then we can be heroes
Just for one day
We could be heroes
We could be heroes
We could be heroes
We could be heroes just one day
song performed by by Wallflowers
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The War Winners
The war winners always write the war history and as for those in war who have known defeat
They never do know of adulation and with a sad ending they meet
Arrested and tried for war crimes and executed for crimes against humanity
The victorious war leaders are feted as heroes though they seem no less guilty to me
Than those who are known as war losers in war far too many do die
And that the victorious of war crimes not guilty in truth of course only a lie
How can the one who order the bombings that killed thousands of people be seen as one quite free of taint
When they are guilty of mass murder and a murderer cannot be a saint
Why do we make heroes of villians two wrongs never do make a right
Though the winner is always the hero that's how it is in every fight
And the war dead with tears are remembered and the war mothers weep for their dead
Though their dead children helped to win the war and good things of them have been said.
The war winners write the war history that's how it is and it will always be
But history itself keeps repeating of war will we ever be free
If the victorious war leaders were not treated as heroes and for their war crimes arrested and tried
We may not have had war in the first place and so many young people may not have died.
poem by Francis Duggan
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Good Old Days
I remember the good old days.
The days when a black man such as myself could not even look at a white woman. Remember what happen to Emmett Till because he did.
Yeah the good old days
When a hard working woman named Rosa Parks got arrested
Just because she refused to get up and give a white man her seat.
The good old days
was when a group of men could burn down a of place worship
And kill four little black girls.
The good old days
When a man like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
got killed only because he had a dream.
I often hear people saying I miss the good old days.
But from my perspective those good old days
was not that good after all! !
Your Hero
The heroes of the masses they live for their renown
And the masses create their heroes and then drag their heroes down
And the masses are unpredictable they change from day to day
And some of their heroes like the Autumn flowers are quick to fade away.
Yet there are millions of unsung heroes and they live on every street
And every day a hero I feel privileged to meet
True heroes male and female yet by the masses unsung
The World is full of heroes of heroes old and young.
Some heroes of the masses are arrogant and proud
And their egos over-swollen from the adulation of the crowd
But give me the unsung heroes who go their own quiet way
Who out of the kindness of their hearts perform one good deed every day.
Many heroes of the masses are not heroes to me
Though every day I walk the street some true hero I do see
Your hero is chauffeur driven and drinks the most expensive wine
And you can have your hero but your hero isn't mine.
poem by Francis Duggan
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Truth is
Truth is, the king had a dream
The dream to sing in perfect harmony
Unity of one color, one sound, one team
Truth is, she led the people to being free
I believe, she was tight like the king
Led away from slavery and on to Calvary
Truth is, she refused her seat to an ignorant white man
She stood tall on her feet to make them understand
That she can and she will, feel how she feels
For she, was real and sealed the deal
Truth is, she stood for woman rights
She led the fight to a new life
She tight, just like mike
Truth is, sojourner Truth, is in all of you
poem by Triauna Hall
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Heroes 2
When we were children
we all knew what we wanted to be.
We wanted to follow
in the footstep of our favourite hero.
Our heroes came from noble stock
and stood above the rest.
We wanted to grow up like them
walking tall through the world.
At a certain age reality kicks in
and we become who we are.
It is a lot different than
those heroes we used to adore.
We learn that heroes
are not such a special breed.
We pass hundreds of them everyday
and we fail to recognise them.
They have no super powers
or logos on their chest.
They dress like you and me
in tee-shirt and jeans
and when the chips are down.
A stranger will save the day
and then when everything has died down
the stranger will be on their way.
21 September 2010
poem by David Harris
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Pledge Allegiance
I pledge allegiance to this land
Where heroes protect every woman and man
The flag that represents freedom and choice
The flag that gives us all a free voice
And on September 11th, when our nation was attacked
We all came together and we fought back
In the midst of terror, many heroes died
They fought to save others and in the end sacrificed their lives
They didn't think twice as they ran toward the fallen cries
All they could think about was to save those victims' lives
Though they have fallen we can still hear freedom ringing in their voice
From the battlefields to the white house we all had to learn to survive
The tragedies on September 11th left a whole nation to mourn and cry
Now we live on to protect our flag's integrity
From the people who just don't seem to see what our nation sees
Though they attack us, never will we fall
I give a salute to the firefighters and soldiers lost on that day
Together we mourn for the victims who had to lose their lives that way
But in their deaths, our nation finally saw
That no matter how much they try, together we cannot fall
So, I pledge allegiance to this land
Where heroes protect every woman and man
poem by Tamara Moir
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On CNN, I Saw My True Heroes
At the crossroads of my life,
I thought that most of my Heroes
Were dead, killed, tortured or knifed
By some cheap bums or paid sbirroes
Of some barbarous gangs in uniform.
Tonight, I saw the sad events in a different form,
I can honestly tell you more about my true Heroes.
Most are gone, but some are still suffering in Homs,
Under a heartless and ruthless regime; with no homes,
No shelters to hide; they are exposed
To heavy shelling, mortars, and deadly rockets.
Those victims are my people, my brothers
And sisters. They are constantly in my prayers.
Our world, which failed to rescue them, owes them a series of debts.
My Heroes' biggest weapons are their voices.
Their cries will silent the tanks and the Kalashnikov guns,
And, in the name of God, will turn them into babies' toys.
Justice and Liberty will prevail in favor of the sons
And daughters of the Almighty God.
The gangsters ignore that they came from earth and like mud
All shall return to that state. The souls
Of the innocent civilians will head to Heaven,
Accompanied by the army of the Angels,
Meanwhile the oppressors will be thrown in Hell with Satan.
My true Heroes are suffering and dying in Homs;
They have no heavy guns, no shelters and no homes.
Children and men are weeping and dying; women are crying
And being raped; while the Superpowers are simply watching.
poem by Hebert Logerie
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Peace and Justice On Behalf Of Dr. M.L.King
(This poem is dedicated to the dreams of Martin Luther King Jr.)
We want Peace and Justice
We are not asking for too much
We do not want to go too far to search
We want Peace and Justice
For the wrongly convicted
And for the illegally executed
Let the bells of freedom ring
From Paris to Washington
From Bangkok to Beijing
From Sudan to Hong Kong
From Iran to Pakistan
From China to Nigeria
From Haiti to Afghanistan
From Holland to India
From Israel to Canada
From Trinidad to Iceland
From Germany to South Africa
From Egypt to New Zealand
Let the thunders bring the gifts of Liberty
To every country in the universe
We were born to live in peace and harmony
The human mind is creative and diverse
Let's use our imagination to make life better for all
Let’s learn to be just and proud, and to walk tall
Corruption can only destroy; injustice can only rot the pot
Theft can only bring hell and greed is like an insatiable rat
Who will not stop until there is no more in the container
Let’s dream bigger and consistently help each other
We want Peace and Justice
For the demonstrators who are fighting for their alienable rights
We want Peace and Justice
At the end of the tunnel, we want to be able to see glorious lights
That can bring hope and stability throughout the continents
We want the perpetrators, the kidnappers and the criminal elements
To be punished in accordance to the laws of nature
We want the Courts to be fair and impartial
The dictators who stole the people’s money must be brought to trial
Their cronies and their henchmen who robbed our future
Must pay the consequences of their misdeeds
We don’t want violence
We don’t want silence
We want common sense to prevail all the time
We want a world free of crime
We want Peace and Justice for all
We want to eliminate the bad seeds
We want Peace and Justice for all.
poem by Hebert Logerie (15 January 2012)
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Heores
Heroes
Being a hero means little to me,
For I have see men labeled as a coward die as a heroes
And men called heroes run like cowards.
A name means nothing when it is all outside
And being called a hero is only a name.
For I have seen countless men live and die,
As only a hero could.
And yet they received nothing more,
Than a little golden star.
Countless heroes have lived and died,
But only a few ever truly earned such a title.
A true hero never worries about titles,
They do what is needed no matter the price.
A true hero is willing to make,
That ultimate sacrifice.
They will lay down their lives,
For their brothers-in-arms,
And give what they can for all those they love.
That is why I willingly gave,
My right leg for the man standing beside me.
I gave what I could so that he would live,
Hoping that he would do the same for another.
poem by Chad LaRowe
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