We built our homes of brick’s,
Hewn upon a solid rock
And hoped at once, once work was done
Our names were not forgot
The work was done with weeping, mind
Back when we were slaves
Nobody had been as good, as kind to e’r write down our names
Master would come down with cracking whip
And cover up our lights,
And in the dark he’d illuminate,
Oh, the sky would shine-a-bright
With reds and blacks and beige and grays, and envy coated greens
Marble brick’s would fly through the air… and, oh we’d…
Oh, we’d see….
Our names danced across the sky those nights
It would ever puzzle me…
How, whilst receiving so much pain,
Our lights above we’d see
And you should have seen
They buzzed so bright,
It brought me ecstasy,
To see that whilst in harbored plight,
The human race still shone, in us, in me.
But yes we built our homes and they,
Our masters set us free
By now you probably understand what is bothering me…
We’re freed we’re told, it’s whispered here and there, but what did set us free?
I fear the worst now, and believe solemnly
That my light did ransom me…
