Written by C Hues
July 4, 2022
I was a weapon Who cut the Nazis down to size Became the devil bringing hell before their eyes I slayed so many men—they thought that I was Death The gift I gave to them while taking their last breath And when I came home, I was hated just the same And all forgot my name I was a Marshall And before that was enslaved I sent my master to his grave He made me fight for him to keep the South apart I stabbed him in his sleep, the blood rushed from his heart I fled for Texas, started hunting wanted men I made the most arrests—my name’s not known to pen I was a Pullman Porter Spent a lifetime shining shoes The passengers put me through the blues All of us were “boy” or “George” or worse I traveled everywhere—could not escape the curse One day I punched a man who spit right in my face He said, “You’ve done it now, you’ve fought with the wrong race” I was in the South and spent my years in jail My story—no one did tell I’ll live forever Flying freely past the pain And we will always know your story—when it rains I hear the thunder—you are calling out your name I’ll catch the lightning—let it flow throughout my veins The wind won’t silence us—the everlasting flame Down on Earth if you look straight into a star You’ll see our history thus far This is who we are