Richie Havens The Klan
The countryside was cold and still
There were three crosses on the hill
Each one wore a burning hood
To hide too rotten core of the wood
And I cried
Father, I hear an iron sound
Hey, hoof beats on the frozen ground
Down the hills the riders came
Lord, it was a crying shame
To see the blood upon their whips
To hear the snarling of their lips
And I cried
Mother, I feel a stabbing pain
Hey, blood flows down like a summer’s rain
Summer’s rain
Each one wore a mask of white
To hide his cruel face from sight
Each one sucked the hungry breath
Out of the empty lungs of death
And I cried
Sister,
Hey sister, raise my bloody head
Hey, it's so lonesome to be dead
He who rides with the Klan
Is a devil, and not a man
For underneath his white disguise
I have looked into his eyes
And I cried
Brother, stand by me
It's not too easy to be free
Brother, Sister
Hey Mother, Hey Father
Stand by me
Hey, it's not too easy to be free
