Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing the "Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". Throughout his career, he was an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes.
Belafonte won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category and was the oldest living person to have received the honor.
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Those Three Are On My Mind
Harry Belafonte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Those three are on my mind
With his comrades down beside him
On that brutal day
Those three are on my mind
There lies young James in his final pain
Those three are on my mind
Those three are on my mind"
I see dark eyed Michael
With his dark eyed bride
Those three are on my mind
And three proud mothers
Weeping side by side
Those three are on my mind
But I'm grieving yet
And for some the sky is bright
I cannot give up hoping
For a morning light
So I ask the killers, "Do you sleep at night?
Oh, those three are on my mind"
I see tin roof shanties
Where my brothers live
Those three are on my mind
And the little burnt out churches
Where they sing we forgive
Those three are on my mind
I know of Tom paints water tree
I know the price of liberty
Now I ask the question that is deep inside of me
Did they also burn the Courthouse
When they killed those three
Those three are on my mind
Those three are on my mind
Those three are on my mind
Harry Belafonte's song "Those Three Are On My Mind" is a solemn tribute to three young civil rights activists, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, who were murdered in Neshoba County, Mississippi in 1964. The song reflects on the grief felt by those who loved them and the senseless violence that took their lives. Belafonte sings about each of them and the circumstances of their deaths.
He starts by thinking of Andy, Andrew Goodman, who along with James Chaney, was beaten and buried alive in an earthen dam, and Michael Schwerner who was cut down with Chaney while trying to investigate the burning of a black church in the area. Belafonte's questioning of the killers asking if they can sleep at night, highlights the urgency and importance of the tragedy that befell these activists. He goes on to mention the three mothers grieving and three brothers living in tin roof shanties, emphasizing the wide-reaching effects of such horrific acts of prejudice and violence. Belafonte also mentions the forgiveness preached in churches where the community is trying to heal and reconcile.
In the final verse, Belafonte reflects on the struggle for freedom and the cost that was paid for social justice. He talks about Tom painting water tree, a symbolic reference to the struggle for clean water and the fight against corruption in political and social systems. The murder of James, Andy, and Michael is seen as a deeper question of whether or not the courthouse was also burned, implying that the justice system itself was corrupted by the violence, racism, and hate of this community.
Line by Line Meaning
I think of Andy in the cold wet clay
I can't help but picture Andy lying in the cold, wet ground
Those three are on my mind
Those three people who were killed are constantly on my mind
With his comrades down beside him
Andy was with his fellow soldiers when he died
On that brutal day
It was a very harsh and cruel day
There lies young James in his final pain
James is lying there in agony in his final moments
So I ask the killers, "Can you see those three again?
I wonder if the killers remember those three people they killed
I see dark eyed Michael
I can visualize Michael's dark eyes
With his dark eyed bride
Michael was married to a woman with dark eyes
And three proud mothers
There were three mothers who were proud of their children
Weeping side by side
They were crying together
But I'm grieving yet
I am still feeling very sad
And for some the sky is bright
Some people are able to find happiness despite tragedy
I cannot give up hoping
I can't lose hope
For a morning light
I hope for a better future
So I ask the killers, "Do you sleep at night?
I wonder if the murderers are able to rest peacefully
Oh, those three are on my mind"
Those three people who were killed are constantly on my mind
I see tin roof shanties
I can see the small and simple houses made of tin
Where my brothers live
My siblings live there
And the little burnt out churches
The churches are small and damaged
Where they sing we forgive
People are still able to forgive and come together despite hardships
I know of Tom paints water tree
I am aware of Tom's painting of a tree near the water
I know the price of liberty
I am aware of the cost of freedom
Now I ask the question that is deep inside of me
I have a burning question I need to ask
Did they also burn the Courthouse
I wonder if the Courthouse was also set on fire
When they killed those three
Were these three people killed in conjunction with the burning of the Courthouse?
Those three are on my mind
Those three people who were killed are constantly on my mind
Those three are on my mind
Those three people who were killed are constantly on my mind
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: FRANCES TAYLOR, PETER SEEGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tomas Bonn
What a beautiful arrangement and interpretation. Goosebumps from head to toe. perfect match of music and lyrics. I have the album, but I can´t remember who the arranger is right now. Credit to him, Pete Seeger and Harry Belafonte. This song will live on, I hope. Den som inte berörs saknar antingen själ eller hjärta.
MrVeganit
I felt that song through out my body
id4mytube
excellent !!
Edda Simon
Great version❤️🌹🍀
Edda Simon
Happy Birthday, Dear Harry Belafonte, with ❤️ from an old German fan, all the best to you❤️🌹🍀
PennTrafford
James Earl Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael "Mickey" Schwerner