Stranger In This Land

I was the daughter of a little known king

When they came and put me in a castle

My eyes had never seen they spoke in tongues

I've never heard they took me to the sea

At the edge of the earth

I journied tempest waters

Reached these distant shores

My clothes are tattered and my soul is worn

I bore a daughter in captivity

They came late one night

To take her away from me i cried and I cried

Oh, Lord have mercy on me can't they see

That little girl is royalty

I held my ground and took my stand

Can't help feeling sometimes

That I'm a stranger in this land

In this land of mine

My mother used to cook and clean

For the rich folks on the hill

Made sure i got an education

And could hardly pay the bills

I studied schools of thought

And philosophies of man started questioning

The contradictions in this land

I left the classroom joined the rallies

In the street marching hand in hand

In the Mississippi heat

I spent so many years of my life on the move

That confrontation was the only thing i knew

Talking unity and how

We gone push on through

Can't even say no more

If anything's improved

I'm a family man with a wife

And two kids to feed i dedicated my life

To seeing we succeed

The way I sought to make it

I learned to follow the rules

So we can make sure our children visit

The finest schools grandmas on the weekends

Going on about the good old days

When decent black folks

Be trying to make a change

My parents used to tell me

To live my life steadfast

But some may ask me what it is that I have