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Phil Ochs lyrics : Talking Birmingham Jam lyrics

Talking Birmingham Jam

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Walkin' down to birmingham,
Way down south in dixieland.
I thought that I would stop a while
Take a vacation southern style
Got some southern hospitality...down there in a southern hospital.

Well, all the signs said welcome in,
Welcome if you're white my friend.
Come along and watch the fights
While we feed our dogs on civil rights.
We believe in segregation...negroes in one mob...
Policemen, politicians, dogs in the other

Well I've seen travel in many ways
I've traveled in cars and old subways
But in birmingham some people chose
To fly down the street from a fire hose.
Doin' some hard travelin'...from hydrants of plenty.

Well a pack of dogs was standin' by
I walked up to them and I said hi
Well I asked one dog what they all were doin'
He walked up to me and started chewin'
It was a black dog...seems everybody down there is prejudiced.

Well I said there must be some men around
There can't be only you dogs in town
They said sure we have old bull conner
There he goes, walkin' yonder
Throwin' some raw meat to the mayor...feedin' bones to the city council

Well I said there's still something missing here,
You must have a governor somewhere.
Sure, he's doin' his duty, he ain't no fool
He's blocking out kids from our schools
Standin' in the doorway...crackin' jokes...gettin' re-elected.

So, I asked em' how they spend their time
With segregation on their mind.
They said if you don't like to live this way
Get outta here, go back to the u.s.a.
Live with all them russians...new york agitatiors...yeah.

Some say they've passed their darkest hour
Those moderates are back in power.
But listen close with open ears
They'll help us out in a couple a hundred years.
But don't push 'em...whatever you do...
Or else you get those extremists back in.

You see alabama is a soveriegn state
With soveriegn dogs and soveriegn hate
They stand for the bible, for the constitution
They stand against communist revolution.
They say: it's pinkos like you that freed the slaves.

[Phil Ochs Talking Birmingham Jam on http://www.lyricshunt.com/]

Other Songs

Live at Newport - 1996

Ballad of Medgar Evers
Cross My Heart
Half a Century High
Is There Anybody Here
Pleasures of The Harbor
The Party
Draft Dodger Rag
I Ain't Marching Anymore
Links on The Chain
Talking Vietnam
The Power & The Glory

Live at Newport - 1996

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