Black codes

Code switching

It’s a cold world

Survival spirit in it

Got me feel so thorough

But Lord knows

I wanna be free

Oh no, familiar with the lows

But we ain’t slowing down

My people got somewhere to go

And Lord knows

We wanna be free

Let me holla at you ‘bout this target on my back

Could it be paranoia?

Confronted death a couple times I’m feeling ready for you

Angels flying over me

Hey, how is heaven for you?

I know a lot of Englishes, I swear it isn’t normal

One for the papers that they write up in the ivory tower

One for my people, let us shine

You know we got the power

Flowers in the field fine flowing what we want to be

Monsters come along so they can trample

Want me underneath

Fro grows towards the sun

I’m overcoming wonderfully

The light be touching me to tell me

Tell your people come and see

Yea, so come and see you know we will

It don’t matter what the evils throw, we glow up still

(Hook)

Got me feeling like I’m not supposed to be here

Make me want to stop and spark the tree, yea

Make it legal and invest in school that’s free, yea

Free all my people we need a heat check

We on a roll despite the cold cuts

I do not know what force could hold us

We got the soul the flow is robust

Stay on this road I know I’m focused

Oh, oh, oh

We gon’ rise up to the top

And we ain’t gonna stop

No matter what may block

No matter who the opp

No matter what the obstacles

In the end you gon’ to talk about how we rose

Oh yea

We gon’ win, get to breaking all your codes

Yea, yea

In the wind, to the moon we gon’ float

Oh, oh

It don’t matter what the evils throw, we glow

It don’t matter what the evils throw, we glow

(Hook)

PART II

Will you speak for me if I fly away?

Don’t let them turn me into just another name

Sing about me

Don’t you let my light fade

Away, away, away, away

This world got too cold for me

I know you got plenty more to see

I needed to give my soul some peace

Away, away, away, away

Rest in peace, Isaiah

Rest in peace, Sam Sam

Rest in peace to all the lost ones

You’ll forever have a seat at the table

We will never forget

No matter how far you are

You’re right here

[Henriette Freeman]: That’s all right! Just go ahead and do what they don’t expect. You’ve been doing this your whole life. You got that gumbo boy!