When I was looking for music I came across John L. Handcox for my presentation. I'm surprised I haven't found music from him because he contributed a lot to the STFU. He was a tenant farmer himself and most of his songs and poems were used at meetings. Here's one called "King Cotton." The planter was always the enemy to tenant farmers and this portrays it.
The planters celebrated King Cotton in Memphis, May fifteen.
It was the largest gathering you most ever seen.
People came from far and near to celebrate King Cotton
Whom the planters love so dear.
Thousands of flags were hung in the street,
But they left thousands of sharecroppers on their farms with nothing to eat.
Why do they celebrate Cotton? Here, I'll make it clear:
Because they cheat, beat and take it away from labor every year.
Cotton is King, and will always be,
Until labor in the South is set free.
The money spent for decorations and flags,
Would sure have helped poor sharecroppers who are hungry and in rags.
Oh! King Cotton, today you have millions of slaves
And have caused many poor workers to be in lonesome graves.
When Cotton is King of any nation,
It means wealth to the planer- to the laborer starvation.
No comments:
Post a Comment