Our War

We're marching for our freedom and rights Picking up a righteous fight The streets are paved in black and white So join us as we march for our morning light Let's take a minute to celebrate The war that Dr. King did create Rosa Parks, have a seat, and at any rate We'll be marching for our rights at stake Mr. Brown, Topeka doesn't know that Your daughter wants to go there You want your girl to get an education But can't because of segregation Mr. Marshall to the front lines We'll win the case in time Segregation isn't equal Score one for the eagle Emmett Till, you're a comrade Caught off the field of combat Jumped on a dark night Outnumbered, lost the fight Buried in the river, we send our tears We may have lost your trial but we're still here Let us please have a moment in silence For our brave brothers in Zion Rosa Parks, this is warfare And you were just sitting there Colored section on a white bus They made a big fuss Because you wouldn't relinquish your seat To a white man in the street You got caught and arrested But in your defense we're protesting Orval Faubus, what are you doing? What is your mind brewing? Trying to stop desegregation In a checkered nation We're on presidential orders So move aside, Orval! The Little Rock Nine are students here now Our little soldiers grew up so quick, wow! Serial Sit-ins start popping up Our nonviolent battle strategy? Yup. The SNCC approves of this Fighting against hoods and nazis with our wits Segregation, what is segregation? Freedom Riders getting beaten during their migration? Riots starting because a black kid is in town? Maybe it's just a legal racist beat down. Martin Luther King is in jail Sending a letter in the mail Even in Birmingham he's the General Better than Birmingham's Colonel Commissioner Connor, can you hit me with the hose? Maybe stick Fido on me and let's see how that goes When the report came, what was written? “Violent peaceful protestors peacefully beaten”? Evars is murdered, one of our finest Our NAACP secretary serves as a reminder That the hood and swastika don't play by the rules And Beckwith thought he could get away with it, the fool! Black people are people too, it's a scientific fact They bleed the same red blood and all that If you stab them in the heart, they'll die too Just exactly like a white person would do I have a dream, let's march on Washington Listen to our General speak in front of Abe's Monument The crowd is more mocha than black Would you look at that? White people have joined our cause Stand up and applaud! Little did we know that four little girls would die Killed by a bomber intending King's homicide. Poll tax is abolished. Now Blacks can vote Discrimination is over, Mr. Johnson wrote Apparently the KKK weren't listening Local cops weren't investigating A federal investigation is started for civil rights workers Two white and One black went missing together They're found in an earthen dam The klan's plan busted damn! Malcolm X is shot to death Black Muslims stole his breath March on Montgomery stopped Bloody Sunday happens pop Why all the bloodshed on the peaceful In our war to be equal? 50 hospitalized and not one carries a badge How can you sell that as an accidental scratch? Black Panthers, Black Power, they all raise an alarm The war is suppose to be won without doing any harm Maybe love can fill the air and soften their hearts Like it did in Loving v. Virginia in the Supreme Court Interracial Marriage isn't unconstitutional Laws against it are though and they're brutal! Race riots break out in Newark and Detroit The eagle is still trying to raise its voice Martin Luther King is shot James Earl Ray is convicted Johnson continues the discrimination prohibition Black children are bused to public schools under court order Public institutions can't segregate if they want to receive funds Bush Senior quits struggling and strengthens civil rights Racism still around, as proved in Los Angeles Even in the University of Michigan you can't get away from it The story barrel rolls to a close, but it's still alive The KKK still exist and the Nazi don't hide. Let's just hope that our species can coincide For our General had a dream that we would all be equal Under the flag that belongs to the eagle 13 stripes and 50 stars, let's celebrate The legal war is over and the mental war's begun Let's take a minute to celebrate The war that Dr. King did create Rosa Parks, have a seat, and at any rate We will march for our rights at stake We're marching for our freedom and rights Picking up a righteous fight The streets are paved in black and white So join us as we march to our morning light