Blind Tom's Lament
The Gloria Switch
Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons!
My father's name was Wiggins but they called me Thomas Greene I was born the year of 18 and 49 My world is colored black but my hearing is keen It's a blessing I was born stone blind My mother's name was charity, a cruel sort of joke She was never treated kindly on the farm In the great state of Georgia there are two kinds of folks The Black ones and the ones who'd do us harm For want of eyes to see I couldn't pick or chop cotton The bossman would have drowned me if he could But dear mother protected me from everything rotten On the day that Greene sold us to Bethune She loved me and could see I had some strange ability When to others my behavior seemed so queer I imitated birdsong and the speech of politicians Played piano in the big house by ear Oh I wish I was in dixie Or somewhere Far from here It doesn't matter to me That I can't see For all I want to do is play The sounds of Rain on the roof An army on the march My pretty music Glorious music My talents were prodigious and I set myself composing General Bethune soon had ideas "Why I could make a mint from this miraculous monkey" And he put me out on tour for 30 years From the White House, before the war, to the concert halls of Europe I left them nearly speechless every time I earned a fortune in my day but was worked as if in bondage The general he kept every dime Eventually my custody went to the general's son Later on his orn'ry widow, Miss Eliza They treated me like property, like master and hound My emancipation a receding horizon Now I'm near to 60 years and my time here isn't long I'm goin' to see my maker and my kin To know I'll be with mother dear is all that keeps me strong In a place where no one sees the color Of my skin Oh I wish I was in dixie Or somewhere Far from here It doesn't matter to me That I can't see For all I want to do is play The sounds of Rain on the roof An army on the march My pretty music Glorious music
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