Chords for Strange Messengers

_ [Dm] _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ [D] _
_ [Dm] _ _ [E] _ _ [D] _ _ _
[Dm] _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ [G] _ [D] _
_ [Dm] _ _ [Em] I [D] _ _
looked [F] upon [Em] the [C] book of life, [D]
tracing [F] the lines [Em] of face [A] after face, [D]
looking [F] down at
their naked [G] feet, [D]
bound in chains, [Em] [D] bound in chains, [F] chains of leather, [Em] chains of [G] gold.
[D] They [F] knew it was wrong, [Em] but they looked away [D] and paraded [F] them down [Em] the colonial [D] streets,
and that's [F] how they [Em] became [D] enslaved. _ _
[F] _ _ [Bb] _ _ [Dm] _ _ [A] _ _
[F] _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _ [F] _
_ _ [Bb] _ [D] _ _ _ [C] _ _
_ _ [F] _ [Em] _ [D] _ They came [F] across [Em] in [C] the great shifts, [D] _ [F]
mothers separated [Em] _ [A] from their babes, [Dm]
husbands standing
[Em] [C] on the auction block, [D] [F] bound in [Em] chains, [D] bound in chains, [Dm] sold to toil in [Em] plantations [C] in
fields of white.
[D] [F] Men knew it was wrong, but [Em] they [A] looked away [F] and paraded their brothers through [Em] the [C] colonial
nights, [D] where they [Dm] turned their necks to [Em] a bitter [D] landscape.
_ _ [F] _
_ [Bb] Am [D] I not a man and brother?
[F] _
_ _ [Em] [C] Am I not a woman and a sinner [F] too?
_ _ [Bb] _ [D] _ _ _ [C] _ _
_ _ [Em] _ [D] _ _ _ _ [Dm] _
_ _ [Em] _ [C] _ _ _ [D] _ [Dm] _
_ _ [Em] _ [Am] _ _ _ _ [Dm] _
_ _ [Em] _ [C] _ _ [D] _ _ [F] _
_ _ [Em] _ [D] _ _ _ [F] History sends us [Em] [C] such strange messengers, [D] [F] coming down through [Em] time [Am] like arms that are
laid [F] with even [Em] _ [C] stranger fruit [D] [F] as they swing the [Em] blade, [D] swing the blade.
[F] On rum ropes of leather, [Em] [C] ropes of gold, [D] [F] swinging in the night, [Em] [Am] while men looked away, _ [F]
turner
and garrison [Em] in, [C] _ round and [D] all, [F]
and they looked [Em] at, [D] they looked at that [F] big ball of blade.
And it [Em] [C] was just [D] the, [F]
just the son of the [Em] ball, just [Am] a ball of blade.
It [F] was flung up, flung [Em] up from the [C] sky of permanent, [D] bright, [F] free, free little stars,
[E] [D] with a spine naked.
[F] Oh God, we [Bb] were, [D] we were standing with our children, [F] we were naked and [Em] free, [C] and God
walked within us, [F] and they came [Bb] on their [D] great ships, and they [C] turned us to look at your
[Em] bitter [D] landscape, your yellow [F] _
_ [Em] wounds.
[G] _ Can't you [D] hear [F] us calling?
_ [Em] _ [Am] My people, [F] I speak to you.
[Em] _ [C] _ _ [D] I, [F]
I burned, [A] I swung, I [Dm]
toiled, [Em] you [C] and your children, [D] and [Dm] you stand there, you [Em] stand [Am] there
and look at me with that face, [F] and you burn out your life [Em] on [C] crack and sorrowful stories.
[D] [F] You feel so sorry for [Em] yourself, [D] you're standing in front of any promising [Dm]
city, any promising
[Bb] city, [Dm] smoking crack.
_ That's how you, that's [Em] how you repay your ancestors.
All those [F] dreams go up in your pipe, [Bb] up [D] in smoke, [C] and we're where we will be [D] heard.
[A] _ _ _ [F]
Oh, _ [A] _ _ [D] can't you hear [F] us calling?
_ [Em] _ [C] Oh, _ _ [F] _
_ _ [Bb] _ [D] _ [C] we're calling you from a bitter [Em] [D] landscape.
Oh, _ [Dm] _
_ [Em] _ _ [C] _ _ [D] _ _ [Dm] _
_ _ [Em] _ [D] _ _ _ _ [Dm] _
_ _ _ [C] _ _ [D] _ _ [F] _
_ _ _ [D] _ I looked [Dm] in the palm [Em] of life, [D] _ [Dm] tracing the lines [Em] of [D] face after [Am] face, [Dm] looking down
at [Em] their [C] naked [D] feet, [Dm] bound in chains, [E] [D] bound in chains, chains of leather, [Em] _ [C] chains of gold.
[D] [F] Men knew it was wrong, [Em] but they [Am] looked away, [D] and they paraded them down [E] the [C] colonial streets.
[D] And that's [Dm] how they [Em] became [D] enslaved. _ _
[Dm] _ _ [Em] _ _ [C] _ _ [D] _ _
[Dm] _ _ _ [A] _ [D] _ _ _ _
[F] _ _ _ [Em] _ _ [C] _ _ [D] _
_ [Dm] _ _ [Em] _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _