Strange Fruit
Danny! feat. Peace and 'Drea Lyrics
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See, strange fruit comes from strange roots
It's a shame; why we afraid of truth?
...Truth is, while people we wanna be hangin'
In the streets and brag about all the dope we be slangin'
I'm maintainin', even though it gets deep
I often wonder, why my people so weak?
Some nights I can't sleep, I should be restin' my mind
To me, it's a mystery
Seems like, some cats repeatin' history
I got a question: why we hate each other so much?
Another question: why we don't wish each other good luck?
Ridin' in my truck, I be bumpin' them oldies
"Young, Gifted and Black"; that's what Hathaway told me
And my parents showed me, how to act properly
And that's why I know I ain't gotta be
(Chorus: 'Drea and Danny!)
(Strange fruit) I ain't ashamed to say it
I don't think that we advancin', black
People still be plantin' that
(Strange fruit) I don't know what it is
That made us tolerate this hatred for so many years
I'm talkin'
(Strange fruit) Down here, where the mansions' at
You can find 'em where the branch is at
Take a glance at that
(Strange fruit) Can somebody please
Tell me what's goin' on?
What's goin' on...
(Verse 2: Danny!)
Yo, what do you mean I can't
Get this hotel room?
For those of y'all just tunin' in, I'm fumin' again
I'm on tour with two of my friends, we zoomin' again
From city to city, we sippin' on Peruvian gin
But now we sippin' from the cup of reality
A couple legalities are bein' broken
I know this ain't right
How you gon' tell me I can't get this hotel room tonight?
When I talked with you befo' on the phone, you was nice
Now I'm here in the flesh, and I guess that you see
That my skin colour just isn't what you thought it would be
Now is it? ... Look at me when I'm talkin' to you
You don't really wanna get hit with a lawsuit, do you?
You told me it was vacant
When makin' the reservation
Now after seein' my face
Your racism is blatant
I hate to say it but damn...it's hard enough bein' a black man
You treatin' me different because I'm black, man?
(Chorus: 'Drea and Peace)
(Strange fruit) I ain't ashamed to say it
I don't think that we advancin', black
People still be plantin' that
(Strange fruit) I don't know what it is
That made us tolerate this hatred for so many years
I'm talkin'
(Strange fruit) Down here, where the mansions' at
You can find 'em where the branch is at
Take a glance at that
(Strange fruit) Can somebody please
Tell me what's goin' on?
What's goin' on...
(Bridge: Danny! and Peace)
(Danny!)
Aww c'mon Peace, see how they gon' do me like that man?
(Peace)
Yeah, that's the way it is though...don't sweat it
(Danny!)
No doubt...
(Verse 3: Danny! and Peace)
(Danny!)
I'm glad I talked to you, and got your two cents
I'm through ventin'
Got a new dent in my mind, I had to mention
(Peace)
I'm glad you listened
To my advice and what I told you
Those situations are what we go through
(Danny!)
Throwin' two fists in the sky, it's you and I
Pluckin' our people from these trees
One root at a time
(Peace)
I feel that rhyme
And your two cents
Let's bounce; this cat is actin' like a nuisance
(Chorus - 'Drea, Danny! and Peace) x 2
(Outro: Danny! and Peace)
(Danny!)
I guess that's the way it is, huh
(Peace)
Yeah, that's how it's goin' down
(Danny!)
Yeah, it's all good...fuck it, let's get on through man...
I guess history keeps repeating itself
(Peace)
Yeah, we just gotta deal with it though
(Danny!)
Yo, we out
The song "Strange Fruit" by Danny! feat. Peace and 'Drea is a contemplative track about racism and oppression, particularly towards black people. It starts with Peace rapping about the unfortunate reality that "strange fruit comes from strange roots." He questions why black people are so weak and why they don't wish each other good luck. 'Drea joins in the chorus, expressing her concern about black people still planting "strange fruit" despite the years of hatred and racism they have endured.
Danny! comes in with a personal experience of racism, where he is denied a hotel room based on his skin color. He expresses his frustration and indignation, pointing out the blatant racism of the establishment. The song ends with the artists acknowledging the recurring nature of racism and oppression and the need to deal with it constantly.
"Strange Fruit" has a powerful history, with the title referencing the song made famous by Billie Holiday in 1939. The original song was written by Abel Meeropol to protest against lynching, particularly towards black people, in the United States. The "strange fruit" referred to the bodies hanging from trees, a cruel and gruesome symbol of racism and oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
See, strange fruit comes from strange roots
Strange and terrible things happen when bad people come together
It's a shame; why we afraid of truth?
It's a pity that people are scared of the truth
Truth is, while people we wanna be hangin'
We harm people we should be trying to be like
In the streets and brag about all the dope we be slangin'
We are proud of selling drugs on the streets
I often wonder, why my people so weak?
I wonder why people of my race are not stronger
Some nights I can't sleep, I should be restin' my mind
I have trouble sleeping but it's important for me to rest my mind
Waking up from nightmares of us hangin' like vines
I wake up from bad dreams where people are getting hanged like plants
Seems like, some cats repeatin' history
It seems like some people are making the same mistakes as those in the past
Another question: why we don't wish each other good luck?
Why don't we encourage each other to succeed?
"Young, Gifted and Black"; that's what Hathaway told me
The song "Young, Gifted and Black" teaches me to be proud of my race
And that's why I know I ain't gotta be
This is why I don't have to act a certain way
(Strange fruit) I ain't ashamed to say it
I am not afraid to say the truth
I don't think that we advancin', black
I don't think we are making progress as black people
(Strange fruit) I don't know what it is
I don't know what exactly is causing the problems
That made us tolerate this hatred for so many years
But we have been dealing with this hatred for too long
(Strange fruit) Down here, where the mansions' at
Even in wealthy areas, people are still dealing with problems
You can find 'em where the branch is at
Even in these areas, you can still see people getting hanged
(Strange fruit) Can somebody please
Can someone explain to me why this is happening?
Tell me what's goin' on?
What is the reason for all of this hate?
What do you mean I can't
Why are you forbidding me to
Get this hotel room?
To rent this hotel room?
From city to city, we sippin' on Peruvian gin
As we go from place to place, we are drinking Peruvian gin
A couple legalities are bein' broken
We are breaking some laws
How you gon' tell me I can't get this hotel room tonight?
Why are you denying me from renting this hotel room tonight?
When I talked with you befo' on the phone, you was nice
You were friendly to me when we spoke on the phone earlier
Your racism is blatant
You are showing obvious racism
It's hard enough bein' a black man
It's already difficult being a black man
You treatin' me different because I'm black, man?
Are you treating me differently because of my race?
Throwin' two fists in the sky, it's you and I
We're putting our fists in the air to unite
Pluckin' our people from these trees
We are freeing our people from these problems
One root at a time
Progress is made slowly, one step at a time
Those situations are what we go through
These kinds of problems are what we experience
I guess that's the way it is, huh
This is just how it is, isn't it?
Yeah, that's how it's goin' down
This is how the situation is playing out
Yeah, we just gotta deal with it though
We just have to handle the situation the best we can
Yo, we out
Okay, we're leaving now
Contributed by Xavier W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
zitzblitz123
this is dope
MoneyOverFame
I used to have alot of his music on my Myspace page back in the day lol....
blair170
thhis dudes whats up!! love when i hear some tru hip to thehop
Tyme Traveling
Dopeee...