From the fertile shores of Canaan
From across the ancient sea
They came in chains and shackles
To the land of liberty
The sound of a whip, a woman screams
From the pain and agony
As the musty ship forges on
To the land of liberty
Little food to eat or water to drink
Blood curdling cries so deep
Shattered dreams and treacherous things
As the elders began to weep
Promised gold but later sold
To those who didn’t care
About their dream’s bitter screams
Nor their deep despair
Oh, precious Lord hear our cry
We suffer deep within
Where are they taking us
They’ve severed us from our kin
They bludgeon us like sheep for the slaughter
And bind our feet with chain
Our rich red blood spatters the ship’s deck
Our bodies wreak with pain
At night we sleep down below
In a rat-infested slum
All stacked on top of each other
Next to the barrels of rum
Oh mighty one, hear our cry
Tend to our despair
We once dwelled in a mighty kingdom
Please take us back there
And then we were awakened by the sound and fury
Of the ship’s blasting horn
Shallow water beneath the ship
A raspy voice did warn
Peering through the splintered cracks
Of the ship’s starboard bow
We saw a world strange to us
We’ve made the voyage somehow
Bind the bucks behind the winches
Herd the small ones too
Came a voice of guild and hate
From one of the ghastly crew
One by one we walked the blank
To the sandy beach below
The steaming hot sand singed our feet
As lashes forced us to go
A sneering group stood in a crowd
Waiting by the shore
As we trotted on up the beach
Where many had gone before
And so began our treacherous journey
On the opposite side of the sea
A land of dreams, but we could see
That here we’re not free
In shabby huts they made us live
And work their massive fields
By our sweat and twisted backs
The crops produce mighty yields
Years have come and years have gone
How time has passed us by
No love of man did rest our aches
Nor mercy for our cry
And then a mighty deep wide rift
Consumed this place of dreams
As a civil war tore life and limbs
As it ripped down the seam
As good prevailed our plight did turn
To pursuing that which was free
It wouldn’t be quick polite or easy
For many of us didn’t see
The awesome journey set before us
Was filled with evil deeds
By those who lost the contentious war
That left deep and bitter seeds
But on we march towards the light
That shown across distance and time
Through the swamps and sloping hills
The passage wouldn’t be kind
Fear and sickness were a constant companion
But we would not be deterred
For some time soon we hoped we’d find
A freedom that won’t be disturbed
So here we are on hallowed ground
And many years have passed
While we searched for our time and place
Where our freedom will grow at last
From reconstruction to the roaring sixties
We fought and defeated Jim Crow
Then the world was stunned by the melodious voice
Of a preacher down below
His words were like lightning and thunder
His message was bold and true
It chastens the hearts of those who knew
And did what they had to do
At last a mandate was drafted and dispersed
Of great and mighty proportion
It rocked the very earth below
With a new and daring notion
That all citizens of America
Had a right to be
Respected and protected with their freedom
From sea to shining sea
So once again we took up the struggle
To pursue our true birthright
The time had come for us to travel
From darkness into light
With joy and fear we began our quest
As we treaded into the unknown
Where bewildered faces stared us down
As though their spirit was torn
Onward we marched up ahead
To many paths of success
Without clear thought many would trade
Their freedom for happiness
Some would soon come to know
That life was still cluttered gloom
Others would find a false acceptance
Being the only one in the room
And as time and distance continued to pass
And America began to yearn
For a true, tried, and equal freedom
The masses appeared to have learned
That all men when blessed with freedom
Could achieve like all the rest
They could think, teach, and even lead
And master any test
Oh this land had surely changed
But none of us expected
That assimilation and courage had open the way
For one of us to get elected
To the highest office in the world
The NaySayers began to gather
Many were sad, but more were glad
But we all cried together
Even those never thought it possible
For this day to finally come
It brought great hope for most of us
But a deep despair for some
He took the reins of a mighty nation
Meandering to the edge of a cliff
With a will of steel he planted his feet
In spite of the deep wide rift
With the wisdom of old, he rolled up his sleeves
And fought to make it so
Many would not lose their jobs
And the NaySayers had to go
Looking back across his term
That was his to qualify
He stood the test, and did it well
That freedom might magnify
He served his country in glorious fashion
And ended his reign with a bow
And now our nation is left to ponder
Which way is freedom now?
