Lyrics
They came for him in the morning
An hour before the dawning
The pale white moon was waning
In the African sky
The cell door flew wide open
And they stood looking at him
He saw no mercy in their hearts
No pity in their eyes
As they took him and they bound him
Tied his trembling hands behind him
He felt his courage leave him
His manhood disappear
His legs would not support him
So from the cell they dragged him
He sobbed and screamed and cursed them
In his loneliness and fear
Chains, chains, chains
How many souls have died in freedom's name?
To some it is a way of life
To others just a word
To some it is a snow white dove
To some a bloody sword
But until the last chains fall
Our freedom will make slaves of us all
With faces close and hidden
The white guards walked beside him
Indifferent to his pleading
They'd been down this path before
But other eyes were watching
And other ears were listening
Other hearts beat with him
In his final desperate hour
From the darkness of that prison
Came the sound of his brothers singing
Courage, the voices told him
You do not walk alone
From their cells beyond the shadow
He heard their voices echo
As in love and pride and sorrow
They sang his spirit home
The song of hope and freedom
It rang inside that prison
It beat against the iron bars
Crashed against the stone
As in their fear and hate they hung him
The last sound that filled his being
Was his brothers singing, singing
Singing his spirit home
Courage, brother, you do not walk alone
We shall walk with you and sing your spirit home
Courage, sister, you do not walk alone
We shall walk with you and sing your spirit home