'We Shall Overcome: Brittany Delaney with Robert Robinson by Larry Long published on 2015-01-19T14:23:54Z 'The Soil', by Brittany Delaney, spoken within 'We Shall Overcome', as sung by Robert Robinson at For Pete’s Sake: Celebrating Pete Seeger’s 95th Birthday, May 3rd, 2014 at the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota. Produced by Larry Long and American Roots Revue. Sponsored by Community Celebration of Place. www.larrylong.org www.communitycelebration.org The Soil By Brittany Delaney The soil has seen so much where we are growing up Has swayed with history And waltzed with the hands of inequality A romance Kissed on the lips of generations long before we arrived here we paddle feet across this very dirt Tracking over footprints so deep we stumble in the ridges Swing on trees were strange fruit dangled Turn corners on the tips of angels whose wings lie like murals On top of shoulder blades that carry the bridges that will link us from one hand to another The soil has seen so much where we are growing up Has danced through the deafening sounds of disparity Ballads played on the keys of human instruments Melodies of inhumanity swirled into the blueprints of the sidewalks we play hopscotch on Drenched into the music that lulls generations of family into separation The soil Where our grandparents patted Tattered too tight shoes for miles to school houses not designed to teach them freedom Where the sirens spray from blue and red lights Unearthing the heartbeats from frightened souls who recognize the Jim Crow in the soundtrack Symmetrical like hands above heads and prayers above tongues Where mother’s arthritic hands have been broken into permanent steeples by late nights and empty beds in their wombs Seen the marching of all colors Linked hands and arms fighting back bones forward we paddle our feet across this very dirt Tracking over footprints so deep we stumble in the ridges Turn corners on the tips of angels whose clipped wings lie like murals On top of shoulder blades Scared and beaten But not defeated some ask why not take the easier road The less scenic route Why not be like those who walk with their eyes closed to history as though it would stop guiding the way of our future if we just ignored it Like the drums in our blood could stop beating if we just stopped listening to the snare line It is because we have to Because every day we wake with one more opportunity to move air through our lungs our necks have the duty to stay in alignment with the sky our minds, the responsibility to shovel deeper grooves into ridges embedded in the palms of our hands like hieroglyphics maps from God we take this road because this is the world that the meek shall inherit That our children’s minds will make home in daring young leaders waiting to run their torches held high in hand spirits unbroken like healing like believing like tomorrow Because it chose us Because there is too much before and after for us to pretend like we didn’t see the hands of ancestors lying like angel wings spread wide in our dreams Interlocked with the steal of revolutions holding up our feet from birth Whispering the hymns of equity deep into our souls singing melodies of freedom in the wind singing melodies of overcoming in the wind sinding melodies of purpose in the wind We paddle our feet across this road everyday Tracking over footprints so deep we will often stumble in the ridges but…. Our hands though scared are bridges each finger representing one half of a pink promise to overcome we are all meant for this we are all meant to develop what was planted in the soil Copyright Brittany Delaney 2014 All Rights Genre Dr King Comment by K.A.O wow you have a power voice Mr.Robert in this song is magic 2020-01-22T07:26:55Z