Only a Pawn in Their Game
Bob Dylan
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A bullet from the back of a bush Took Medgar Evers' blood A finger fired the trigger to his name A handle hid out in the dark A hand set the spark Two eyes took the aim Behind a man's brain But he can't be blamed He's only a pawn in their game A South politician preaches to the poor white man "You got more than the blacks, don't complain You're better than them, you been born with white skin," they explain And the Negro's name Is used, it is plain For the politician's gain As he rises to fame And the poor white remains On the caboose of the train But it ain't him to blame He's only a pawn in their game The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid And the marshals and cops get the same But the poor white man's used in the hands of them all like a tool He's taught in his school From the start by the rule That the laws are with him To protect his white skin To keep up his hate So he never thinks straight 'Bout the shape that he's in But it ain't him to blame He's only a pawn in their game From the poverty shacks, he looks from the cracks to the tracks And the hoofbeats pound in his brain And he's taught how to walk in a pack Shoot in the back With his fist in a clinch To hang and to lynch To hide 'neath the hood To kill with no pain Like a dog on a chain He ain't got no name But it ain't him to blame He's only a pawn in their game Today, Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught They lowered him down as a king But when the shadowy sun sets on the one That fired the gun He'll see by his grave On the stone that remains Carved next to his name His epitaph plain Only a pawn in their game
The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
8 facts about this song
Historical Context"Only A Pawn In Their Game" was released as part of Bob Dylan's album "The Times They Are a Changin'" in 1964.
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SongwritingThis was one of Dylan's most politically focused songs. It was written in response to the 1963 assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers in Mississippi.
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Lyrics AnalysisIn his lyrics, Dylan suggests that the white man who murdered Evers was manipulated by the upper class and politicians to carry out their agenda. Thus, the man was only a "pawn" in their game.
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Live PerformanceDylan first performed this song live on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, just few months after the murder took place.
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Song RecognitionRolling Stone magazine listed "Only a Pawn in their Game" as number 76 in their list of the 100 greatest Bob Dylan songs.
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InspirationDylan took a trip in 1963 to Greenwood, Mississippi, where he was deeply affected by the racial tension and violence he saw, including the murder of Evers. This greatly influenced the lyrics of the song.
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Social ImpactThe song is an example of Dylan's early folk protest songs that made him become synonymous with the 1960's Civil Rights Movement in America.
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Timeless AppealDespite this song being over 50 years old, it retains contemporary resonance, associated with issues of racial inequality and institutionalized racism.
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Citation
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"Only a Pawn in Their Game Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/26455314/Bob+Dylan/Only+a+Pawn+in+Their+Game>.
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