Black, Brown and White Blues

29 februari 2008 12:17 | Musik, Politik | 2 kommentarer

William ”Big Bill” Broonzy (1893-1958) var en mycket fin bluessångare och gitarrist, som på 1930- och 1940-talen slog igenom bland annat som företrädare för chicagobluesen men också som blues- och folksångare i New York. På 1950-talet turnerade han mycket i Europa, delvis för att han inte stod ut med rasismen hemma i USA. I den här låten, som de stora skivbolagen vägrade ge ut, ger han uttryck för sin frustration:

Black, Brown and White Blues

Amerikansk text och musik: Big Bill Broonzy, 1951

This little song that I’m singin’ about,
People, you know it’s true.
If you´re Black and gotta work for a living,
This is what they’ll say to you.

Chorus:
They says, “If you was White, you’d be all right,
If you was Brown, stick around,
But as you’s Black, oh brother, get back, get back, get back.”

I was in a place one night.
They was all having fun.
They was all buyin’ beer and wine,
But they would not sell me none.

Chorus

I went to the employment office,
Got a number and I got in line.
They called everybody’s number,
But they never did call mine.

Chorus

Me and a man was workin’ side by side.
This is what I meant –
They was paying him a dollar an hour,
And they was paying me fifty cent.

Chorus

I helped build this country,
And I fought for it too.
Now I guess that you can see
What a black man has to do.

Chorus

I helped win sweet victory
With my plough and hoe.
Now I want you to tell me, brother,
What you gonna do about the old Jim Crow.

Chorus

Låten hittar du på Big Bill Broonzys CD ”Trouble in Mind” (Smithsonian Folkways 2000, återutgivning av inspelning från Folkways, 1956). Där finns också en talad introduktion av Broonzy.

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