Badlands

Badlands

Father was a good man never harmed another soul

A humble life of intention in his 80 years or so

My skin's the shade of caramel His was black as night

Mother was the lucky one hers was porcelain white.

Father was a cobbler worked his fingers to the bone

Never could quite get ahead so we called the Badlands home

The white folk came from all around cause he was the best for miles

Head down always looking at their feet he should have looked into their smiles

Chorus

It's a wicked wind that blows through Lincoln's prairie town

Hang that white cloth out so they'll think

You’re the kind they want around.

Mother says she felt it coming walking to town her skin would crawl

Maybe 'twas just the August heat maybe just the writing on the wall.

Some say he was brave but Mother says he was hard-headed

'Cause when they came for him he stood his ground

Strung him up in the old oak we played on as kids

On the Governor's side of town

Chorus