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
