Havilah Rand
The Innocent Question

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Steal away

To the river

Steal away

To the hiding rooms

Where is faith

When the demon’s runnin

Straight towards you

—

Where is God

A child reaching for the blue sky

Where is God

A child hangin from the noose

Why do we do this to each other

Separated by religion race and color

—

prejudice imprinted

On the underbelly of my brain

Walk the talk and practice what I preach

Still make that mistake again and again

—

Feel the guilt and feel the fear

That anger rises up

Too difficult to face the beast

You close your eyes keep your mouth shut

—

Lay down low

Hiding in the trees

From the smoke

And idiocracy

—

Break the chains

Bury the snake

Seek the truth

and call it out by name

—

Weaponizing words

what kind of animal are we

That paints the art of language

as the enemy

—

Identity runs deeper

than the color of our skin

We’re all more than just one story

The good inside our hearts

Is greater than our sins

—

Where is God

An innocent question

Where is god

A silent scream

Where is hope

To walk in peace

The light of awareness will set us free

—

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Reggie Garrett
I Won’t Fade Away

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They say the time is ripe for runnin’

They say it’s time for me to flee

And they say it’s time to put that one away

Well, they wanna close the book

Ah, they wanna close the book – on me

—

Well, they fought a war to save the Union

A war for me to be free

But folks ‘round here, they want  to chain me away

Oh, they wanna lock the door

Lock the door – on me

—

But I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away

I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away

—

Found myself way out in Utah

There’s a canyon out that way – still bears my name

Me and my friend, we ran our cattle on that land

’Til they tried to throw the book

Ah, they wanna throw the book – at me

—

Well, I had to leave that place in a hurry

Oh, I had to run and leave it all behind

Guess that was just too much good land for a man as dark as me

Well, they wanna write the rules

Ah, they wanna write the rules – for me

—

But I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away

I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away

—

Now, I’m steppin’ down the streets of Greenwood, OK

So many souls all around – just like me

Some say they stole this land from those Indian folks

Well, they got pushed around

Oh, they got pushed around – like me

—

Next thing I know, they’re raining death from the sky

And gunning everyone, right where they stand

Too many times, I’ve seen it in my life

Oh, they wanna cleanse the land

They wanna cleanse the land – of me

—

But I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away

I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away

—

Well, I climb the side of a mountain, so steep

So many obstacles thrown in my way

Seems that hatred won’t ever die away

Oh, they wanna close the book – lock the door

They wanna throw the book – and write the rules

They wanna cleanse the land and purify this world

Oh, they wanna make a world- without me

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(But-)

I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away

I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away

I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away

I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away