With three CD’s and one Live in Concert DVD, listeners can enjoy an array of musical styles that can best be described as a fusion of many different genres and traditions. From larger cinematic compositions in songs like Divine Tapestry and The Purest Branch to more intimate three-part folk harmonies in songs like Prisoners and Land & Sea.
Messenger
Smith & Dragoman Lyrics
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Tracing the lines of face after face
Looking down at their naked feet
Bound in chains bound in chains
Chains of leather chains of gold
We knew it was wrong but we looked away
And paraded them down the colonial streets
And that's how they became enslaved
They came across on the great ships
Mothers separated from their babes
Husbands stood on the auction block
Bound in chains bound in chains
Chains of leather chains of gold
Men knew it was wrong but they looked away
And led them to toil in fields of white
As they turned their necks to a bitter landscape
Oh the people I hear them calling
Am I not a man and a brother
Am I not a woman and a sister
History sends us such strange messengers
They come down through time
To embrace to enrage
And in their arms even stranger fruit
And they swing from the trees
With their vision in flames
Ropes of leather ropes of gold
Men knew it was wrong but they looked away
Messengers swinging from twisted rope
As they turned their necks to a bitter landscape
Oh the people I hear them calling
Am I not a man and a brother
Am I not a woman and a sister
We will be heard we will be heard
In the song Messenger by Smith & Dragoman, the lyrics describe the cruelty and injustice of slavery. The first verse depicts a scene of slaves being paraded down colonial streets, with their feet bound in chains of leather and gold. The singer acknowledges that they knew it was wrong, but still looked away. The second verse describes how the slaves were brought over on ships, with mothers being separated from their children and husbands being put on the auction block. Again, the singer acknowledges that men knew it was wrong, but still led the slaves to work in fields of white.
The chorus of the song is a call from the slaves, asking to be recognized as human beings. They ask “Am I not a man and a brother? Am I not a woman and a sister?” The final verse of the song speaks about history sending strange messengers down through time. These messengers embrace and enrage people, and they carry with them even stranger fruit – meaning that the legacy of slavery and its effects are still being felt today. The song ends with the defiant statement that “we will be heard.”
Overall, this song is a powerful condemnation of slavery and a reminder that its effects are still being felt today. The lyrics are deeply emotional and moving, and they serve as a reminder of the importance of standing up against injustice.
Line by Line Meaning
I looked upon the book of life
I examined the historical record of humanity's existence
Tracing the lines of face after face
Studying the individual experiences of numerous people
Looking down at their naked feet
Noticing their vulnerable and defenseless state
Bound in chains bound in chains
Restricted and oppressed with various materials
Chains of leather chains of gold
Regardless of the type of chain, they were still enslaved
We knew it was wrong but we looked away
Despite recognizing the immorality of slavery, there was a refusal to act
And paraded them down the colonial streets
Publicly exhibited the enslaved population as a means of profit
And that's how they became enslaved
By being captured, exploited, and oppressed
They came across on the great ships
Arriving through the forced migration of the transatlantic slave trade
Mothers separated from their babes
Families torn apart and destroyed
Husbands stood on the auction block
Individuals were put up for sale like inanimate objects
Men knew it was wrong but they looked away
Those in power chose not to abolish slavery for profit and convenience
And led them to toil in fields of white
The enslaved were forced to work without reward in dangerous and harsh conditions
As they turned their necks to a bitter landscape
The people endured unbearable suffering while the privileged ignored their plight
Oh the people I hear them calling
Voices from the past demanding recognition, justice, and humanity
Am I not a man and a brother
Asserting that people of color deserve the same rights as their oppressors
Am I not a woman and a sister
The system of oppression entailed by slavery also subjugated women
History sends us such strange messengers
The present is given grim reminders of past atrocities
They come down through time
The legacy of slavery continues to affect our society to this day
To embrace to enrage
The emotions evoked by the remembrance of slavery are intense but necessary
And in their arms even stranger fruit
The devastating consequences of slavery yielded strange and horrifying outcomes
And they swing from the trees
Describing the brutal lynching practices that existed in the past
With their vision in flames
The dream of freedom and equality was repeatedly and violently destroyed
Ropes of leather ropes of gold
The nooses used in lynchings were not restricted to any particular material
Messengers swinging from twisted rope
The tragic fate of the enslaved and the lives lost in the fight for liberation
As they turned their necks to a bitter landscape
The people still faced hardships and injustice even after the abolition of slavery
We will be heard we will be heard
A declaration of determination to ensure that history does not repeat itself and that true justice is carried out
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEONARD J KAYE, PATTI SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind