Tom Morello Sings Powerful Slavery Song ‘You Belong to Me’
With racial equality and human rights very much in the spotlight, Tom Morello is adding to the conversation with a previously unreleased song that ties America's history with slavery to the present unrest. The song, titled "You Belong to Me," recently arrived and can be heard in the player below.
The track is more in the style of Morello's Nightwatchman project, taking on a more solemn acoustic approach as he unravels the story of a slave taking a stand after a beating. Morello also directed the video for the song which can be seen at the bottom of this post.
The guitarist stated via Twitter, "Our present is tethered to our past. The overseer’s whip & noose of history are today echoed in the policeman’s baton & pistol. I had a very clear idea I wanted to express with the song & the video and that is: Sometimes, enough is enough. #YouBelongToMe" Check out the lyrics for the song below:
Summer sun beats down
On Virginia’s cotton fields
Strong hands work the strong black earth
To the call of the chickadeeA tall man rides with shiny boots
On a horse named Robert E. Lee
Now whip will crack and tear men’s backs
And ankle chains will gleamHe said eagles fly and rabbits run
And fire leaps from tree to tree
You may think you belong to you
But you belong to me
You belong to me
You belong to me
Yeah you belong to meShiny boots cut ‘cross the wet grass
Door hinge creaks ‘bout quarter to three
Slave quarters are still and silent
Strong hand covers her mouth as she sleeps
She holds her breath and prays that death
Will lift her from this dream
In the next room her young children are cryin’
When they hear that muffled screamHe said eagles fly and rabbits run
And fire leaps from tree to tree
You may think you belong to you
But you belong to me
You belong to me
You belong to me
Yeah you belong to meFire lept behind the stranger
As he stood upon the porch
In his right hand he held a shotgun
In his other hand a torch
Master’s shot went wide
Nat Turner stood him on his knees
The plantation burned around them
Master cursed and whispered, “Please”
Nat threw the torch aside
So his other hand was free
He cocked back the hammer
The fire lept from tree to treeHe said eagles fly and rabbits run
And fire leaps as you can see
You may think you belong to you
But you belong to me
You belong to me
You belong to me
Yeah you belong to me
Morello has also made the song available via Bandcamp. Check out the video below.
Tom Morello, "You Belong to Me"
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