True Blues
The Last Poets Lyrics

True Blues
This song is about the enduring presence of blues music in black culture.

ain't no new news
The history of abuse and struggle that inspired blues music is well known and constantly repeated.

'bout who's been abused
Blues music has always been inspired by the suffering of black people.

for the blues is as old
The tradition of blues music is deeply rooted in black history.

as my stolen soul.
The theft of black bodies and culture during the slave trade is the foundation of blues music.

I sang the blues when the missionaries came
Blues music has been a response to white people coming into black communities and forcing their religion on them.

passing out Bibles in Jesus' name.
Many black people were forced to abandon their own spiritual traditions and adopt Christianity during the era of colonialism and slavery.

I sang the blue in hull of the ship
Blues music was born out of the brutal experience of being kidnapped, taken from home, and transported across the Atlantic in slave ships.

beneath the sting of the slavemaster's whip.
Whippings were a common form of punishment for slaves and a defining part of the experience of slavery.

I sang the blues when the ship anchored
The experience of being sold at a slave auction after being transported across the ocean was traumatic and inspired blues music.

the dock
The place where ships would tie up and slaves would be sold.

my family being sold on a slave block.
Being separated from family members and sold off was a defining part of the slave trade.

I sang the blues being torn from my first born
Losing children was a common tragedy for enslaved parents.

and hung my head and cried
Blues music is a response to the grief and sorrow of losing loved ones to slavery and violence.

when my wife took his life
The loss of a child was often more than some enslaved parents could bear, leading to suicide and other tragedies.

and then committed suicide.
The grief and despair of slavery led many Black people to take their own lives.

I sang the blues on the slavemaster's plantation
Blues music was often sung by enslaved people while working in harsh conditions on their masters' farms.

helping him build his tree nation.
Slavery was the foundation of the American economy and the wealth of white plantation owners.

I sang the blues in the cotton field
Cotton was the most important crop grown in the South and the primary source of wealth for plantation owners.

hustlin' to make the daily yield.
Enslaved people were forced to work from dawn until dusk to meet the demands of their masters.

I sang the blues when he forced my woman
Enslaved women were often subjected to sexual violence by white slave owners.

to bed.
Enslaved women were not free to refuse the sexual advances of their masters.

Lord Knows I wish he was dead
Enslaved people often harbored feelings of hatred and vengeance towards their masters.

I sang the blues on the run
Many enslaved people attempted to escape slavery, often inspired by the promise of freedom in the North.

ducking the dogs and dodging the gun.
Escaping slavery was a dangerous and difficult task that required avoiding patrols of armed white men and their dogs.

I sang the blues hangin' from the tree
Blues music was also inspired by the violence of lynching, a common form of vigilante justice inflicted on Black people during and after slavery.

in a desperate attempt to break free.
Black people have always sought to escape the violence and oppression of white supremacy and lynch mobs.

I sang the blue from sun up to down
Blues music was a constant presence in the daily lives of Black people, helping them to express their grief and pain.

cursing the master when he wasn't around.
Blues music was often a form of rebellion against white authority and oppression.

I sang the blues in all his wars
Blues music was also inspired by the violence and suffering of wars that Black people were forced to fight.

dying for someone uknown cause.
Black soldiers have always been forced to fight wars in service of a government that often does not care about their welfare.

I sang the blues in the high tone, low moan,
Blues music incorporates a wide range of vocal styles, from high-pitched wailing to low, mournful groans.

load groan, soft grunt, hard funk!
Blues music is a versatile and expressive art form that incorporates a wide range of sounds and emotions.

I sang the blues on land, sea and air
Blues music has always been a part of Black culture, no matter where people have been forced to live or travel.

about who, when, why and where.
Blues music has always explored the depths of the human experience, asking the big questions of life and death.

I sang the blues in church on Sunday.
Even in the face of white Christian domination, Black people have always found ways to incorporate their own spiritual traditions into their religious practices.

slavin' on Monday
Blues music reflects the constant labor of Black people, who have always been forced to work for the benefit of white people.

misused on Tuesday.
Black people have always been oppressed and exploited by white supremacy, no matter what day of the week it is.

abused on Wednesday.
The violence and cruelty of white supremacy is a constant presence in the lives of Black people.

accused on Thursday.
Black people have always been wrongly accused of crimes and forced to suffer the consequences.

fried alive on Friday
Lynchings and other forms of racial violence were often carried out on Fridays as part of a ritualistic kind of terror that was meant to intimidate Black people.

and died on Saturday.
The physical and emotional toll of white supremacy and slavery often led Black people to early deaths and shortened lifespans.

Sho'nuff singin the blues.
The blues is a powerful form of artistic expression that has been a constant presence and source of solace and inspiration for Black people.

I sang the blues in the summer, fall, winter
Blues music is a year-round art form that speaks to the different moods and emotions of each season.

and spring.
No matter what time of year it is, Black people have always had reasons to sing the blues.

I know sho'nuff the blues is my thing.
The blues is an essential part of Black culture and identity.

I sang the backwater blues.
Backwater blues is a specific style of blues music that originated in rural areas near waterways like rivers and swamps.

Rhythm and blues.
Rhythm and blues is a genre of black popular music that combines elements of blues, jazz, and gospel.

Gospel blues.
Gospel blues is a style of blues music that incorporates Christian themes and lyrics.

St. Louis blues.
St. Louis blues is a style of blues music that originated in the city of St. Louis, Missouri.

Crosstown blues.
Crosstown blues is a style of blues music associated with Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago blues.
Chicago blues is a style of blues music that originated in Chicago, Illinois and is characterized by its electric guitar sound.

Mississippi Goddam blues.
Mississippi Goddam is a political protest song by Nina Simone that addresses racial violence and terrorism in the American South.

The Watts blues.
The Watts riots were a series of violent protests that took place in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California in 1965.

Harlem blues.
Harlem blues is a style of blues music that originated in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City and is characterized by its slower tempo and melancholic sound.

Hough blues.
Hough was a predominantly black neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio that was the site of several riots in the 1960s and inspired a number of blues songs.

Gutbucket blues.
Gutbucket blues is a style of blues music that emphasizes low, rumbling bass and heavy drum beats.

Funky junkie blues.
Funky junkie blues is a style of blues music associated with the drug culture of the 1960s and 1970s.

I sang the up north cigarette cough blues.
The up north cigarette cough blues is a reference to the harsh living conditions and lack of medical care for many Black people living in Northern urban areas.

The down south strung out the side of my mouth blues.
The down south strung out the side of my mouth blues is a reference to drug addiction and despair in the American South.

I sang the blues black.
Blues music is an expression of Black culture and identity.

I sang the blues blacker.
Blues music is an expression of the specific struggles and experiences of Black people.

I sang the blues blackest.
Blues music is the most powerful expression of Black culture and identity.

I sang about my sho'nuff blue blackeness.
Blues music is an expression of Black pride and identity, rooted in the experiences of slavery, oppression, and struggle.