Black, Brown and White
 Song: Black, Brown and White (Get Back)
Lyrics: William Lee Conley Broonzy (1)
Music: William Lee Conley Broonzy (1)
Year: circa 1945
Genre: Blues
Country: USA
This was sometimes introduced by him with this spoken introduction:
This song for a fact was written about my life.
There’s a lot o’ people don’t like it because of the words, "get back".
Well there’s a lot o’ people in the world have never had to get back.
Well I wrote it because I had to gdt back.
This little song that I’m singing about,
People, you all know is true.
If you’re black and gotta work for a living,
This is what they will say to you.
(Chorus:)
If you’re 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.
This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net
I was in a place one night,
They was all havin’ 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.
This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net
Chorus
Me and a man was working side by side,
Tthis is what it meant,
They was payin’him a dollar an hour,
they was payin’me fifty cents.
Chorus
I helped build this country,
And I fought for it too,
Now I guess you can see,
what a black man have to do.
I helped win sweet victory
with my ol’ plough and hoe,
Now I want you to tell me, brother,
what you goin’ to do about the old Jim Crow.
Chorus
Notes:
1 - William Lee Conley Broonzy commonly known as "Big Bill Broonzy".
2 - Finally recorded by Bill Bill Broonzy, in 1951, but written some time earlier.
3 - Big Bill Broonzy, on Wikipedia
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