Feel the shackles hard and cold,
Holding me to this place,
Feel the hatred lashing,
Biting into my back,

Look into these faces,
See the broken souls,
See the beaten people,
Feel the drunken fist,
Baring down on me,

What have I done to justify,
Being ripped from my home,
What have I done to justify,
Being forced to work these fields,
What have I done to justify,
Not being able to freely feel the breeze,
What have I done to justify,
Being put into a cage like an animal,

I’ll tell you what I’ve done,
I’m unable to speak their tongue,
I’ll tell you what I’ve done,
I was born with skin another color,
And so they think me stupid,
And so they see me differently,

True,
I am different,
But I am still human,
And yet they treat me as a dog,
No,
Even a dog is treated better than I,
A dog is given food,
Warmth,
Love,
Shelter,
These things I do not receive from them,
Nor,
I think,
Do I want to,

I will not break,
But wait,
Wait for the day they take these shackles off of me,
Then I shall cross the seas to my people,
And I shall keep them free.