Letter to the Free lyrics

Southern leaves, Southern trees we hung from

Barren souls, heroic songs unsung

Forgive them, Father, they know this knot is undone1

Tied with the rope that my grandmother died

Pride of the pilgrims2 affect lives of millions

Since slave days, separatin' fathers from children

Institution ain't just a buildin'

But a method of havin' black and brown bodies fill them

We ain't seen as human beings with feelin's

Will the U.S. ever be us? Lord willin'!

For now we know the new Jim Crow3

They stop, search and arrest our souls

Police and policies patrol philosophies of control

A cruel hand takin' hold

We let go to free them so we can free us

America's moment to come to Jesus4

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (hold on)

Hold on

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

The caged bird sings5 for freedom to ring2

Black bodies being lost in the American dream

Blood of black being, a pastoral scene

Slavery's still alive, check Amendment 136

Not whips and chains, all subliminal

Instead of 'nigga,' they use the word 'criminal'

Sweet land of liberty,2 incarcerated country

Shot me with your ray-gun7

And now you wanna trump8 me

Prison is a business, America's the company9

Investin' in injustice,10 fear and long suffering

We staring in the face of hate again

The same hate they say will make America great again11

No consolation prize for the dehumanized

For America to rise, it's a matter of black lives12

And we gonna free them so we can free us

America's moment to come to Jesus

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (yeah, hold on)

Hold on

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (won't be long)

Freedom come (freedom)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (won't be long)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (won't be long)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (won't be long)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (hold on)

Freedom (won't be long)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on 

Won't be long (freedom come)

Freedom

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Oh, won't be long

Oh, freedom won't be long

1. A play on words of Bible passage Luke 23:34: "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."2. a. b. c. A reference to lyrics from the first stanza of former US national anthem "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)". The full stanza is: "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing; Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims' pride, from ev'ry mountainside, let freedom ring!"3. After slavery was abolished in the US in 1865, Jim Crow laws were put in place to enforce racial segregation of blacks and whites. So while black people were now "free," Jim Crow laws prevented them from having the same privileges as whites. Jim Crow laws were finally abolished 1965 as a result of the Civil Rights movement.4. A "come-to-Jesus moment" is a moment in which one has a major epiphany or revelation and realizes the error of one's ways, takes responsibility, and takes action to correct their wrongdoings.5. A reference to the book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," an autobiography by African-American author Maya Angelou in which she recounts her experiences as a victim of racism. The title is a line from the poem "Sympathy" by African American author Paul Laurence Dunbar.6. The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution made slavery illegal in the US except as punishment for a crime. After slavery was abolished, there was an increase in the mass incarceration of African Americans. Effectively, it traded one type of slavery for another, which was now legal.7. Some lyrics show this written as "Reagan," a reference to former US president Ronald Reagan, whose support for "War on drugs" campaigns led to an increase in the arrests and incarceration of African Americans.8. Some lyrics show this capitalized as a play on words of US President Donald Trump, who is openly racist.9. Many US corporations are sponsors of the US prison system and benefit from the free labor of prisoners, a type of legal slavery that disproportionally affects African Americans and other people of color.10. Many corporations invest in and support policies that contribute to mass incarceration and allow it to continue.11. "Make America Great Again" was the campaign slogan of openly-racist US President Donald Trump.12. A reference to the "Black Lives Matter" movement, an international human rights movement that campaigns against racism and injustice towards African Americans and black people in general.