When a cold wind blows
Down every spine
That’s how it was
In ’29
The pastor’s flock
Sang southern soul
King was the rock
On the cradle roll
Each mortal soul
That sets out free
Soon bears the chains
Of history
The sundown town
The minstrel show
The hooded gown
And old Jim Crow
A flame of shame
Lit the southern sky
The burning cross
Was tinder dry
The pall sustained
Its sickly scent
In the choking air
Of malcontent
Who would not weary
Of broader mind
At the antics of
The fearful blind
When Rosa’s pride
A short bus ride
Blew the fuses
Far and wide
My country is of thee
Sweet land of liberty
Of thee I sing
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring
Let every man
Have a dream
To make his mark
And be serene
To find his place
A state of grace
To stand up tall
And show his face
The curtain fell
In Tennessee
Lorraine Motel
On the balcony
His one man band
Fair struck a chord
So, take his hand now
Precious Lord
My country is of thee
Sweet land of liberty
Of thee I sing
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring
And the road is long
The road is long
You’ve got to be strong, brother
You got to keep carrying on
*Lyrics by Colin Pollock except "My country... freedom ring" which is an excerpt from "My Country 'Tis of Thee" by Samuel Francis Smith (1831) quoted by Dr. Martin Luther King in his "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington (1963)