B.L.M.

Lynval Golding Born 1921 Mendes St Catherine Jamaica The year was 1954 you know Sir Winston Churchill shot across the western islands And said come Help us rebuild this country devastated by war And so anyway my father set sail upon the wind rush Born for a new life My father was a tailor by trade So this could be the possibility of all possibilities But no there was no cloth to stitch Instead you know wha if I found work In a steel foundry pouring hot metal Day and night day and night And even worse you know what i mean Him Trying to find a room to rent This was becoming a nightmare for him He knock on door after door after door But the sign on the window keep saying the same thing No dogs no irish no blacks Welcome to England I'm not here to teach you I'm not trying to preach to you I'm just trying to reach out And say Time move on In 1964 My father showed across of Jamaica Son him said come join me So I set sail on a ship called the Askina When I reached Northampton on a cold winter's night Boy I was freezing I want to tell the captain to just take me back to Jamaica But no I was here to stay So my father sent me to a school Linden Road school in Glouster I remember the first playtime A boy shot across at me Oi you black bastard, come 'ere I said what He said Come 'ere you black bastard I said couldn't believe, I says what? Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me? Boy welcome to England I'm not here to teach you I'm not trying to preach to you I'm just trying to reach out And say In 1994 I move again The land of the free the home of the brave The United State of America And there I was Just walking along in the sun Mindin My own business Such a beautiful day man When I remember I had to buy a watch for my sister's birthday When why i eventually found this store As i walk through the door This woman in the store shouted at me Why you doing here you god damn nigger I said, I'm just, I'm just trying to buy a watch for my sister When she heard my accent She said, 'oh you're not from here, you're not one of them' One of them i said, you mean me being black Well ma'am let me tell you something right, I am black If that's all you see? The colour of my skin? In England they call you a black bastard In America they call you a god damn nigger Boy Welcome to my world But I'm not here to teach you I'm not here to preach to you I'm just trying to reach out And say Black lives matter