1. |
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If I were black I’d be in jail or dead.
I’ve gotten off easy since I’ve got white skin.
Cops have given me free passes for no apparent reason.
If I were minority, it’d be hunting season
It makes me sick and I want to cry when I think about my students
who could one day die from a simple speeding ticket or from walking late at night or for just looking suspicious or for not being white.
I’ve driven drunk and I’ve used drugs.
I’ve sold some to my friends and I’ve stolen some
Goods from institutions wearing a polo and slacks
I never got caught because I’m not black.
I’d be dead if I were black.
What’s the use in giving someone years behind bars
for just smoking weed and not causing major harm?
Alcohol or drug addiction should not be treated as a crime.
It’s a health issue...I know with mine
I had to find a program and I had to make a change
And being locked up would not have aided in my gain
Prison should be for people who are a danger to the world,
Not system for enslaving dad of little boys and girls.
Look around it’s plain to see. We have an inherited disease.
Prejudice and judgment based on race.
Racism is rampant.
We will not rest our case.
Look at the statistics, you may not believe your eyes
The US imprisons one of every 14 black guys.
It’s the new Jim Crow, mass incarceration.
Maybe we haven’t come as far as we thought since so called emancipation.
A black child has a worse chance now of being raised by two parents then in 1850. Wow.
I don’t know what to do. I feel powerless and mad.
What the fuck? You just up and shot some young kid’s dad.
If I were black, I’d be in jail or dead.
One time a cop held a gun toward my head.
A misunderstanding that could have ended in violence.
Alive since I am white and I’m sick of the silence.
A cop has pulled me over for going the wrong way down a one way street
and I was drunk that day.
Not a ticket or a pat down or a search of my car.
I pretended I was lost and got a warning--how bizarre.
Or was it because I looked like a straight-laced kid
Brown hair, blue eyes, telling policemen fibs
Manipulating people and getting what I want
The way that I was living was what used to haunt me
when I was sleeping, but I’ve worked through that
Made amends, moved on
But if I’d been black.
I’d have never had the chance.
People don’t belong in prison, they belong outside
In their homes, their decisions should not determine 90 years of their life
People can change in a matter of months
That was the case for me
I was a criminal once or twice or thrice or too many times to count
Getting help for addiction is what helped me out
Of the mess I made and the patterns I was caught in
I’m grateful for the grace I’ve been unequally allotted
I wish I could change the rules of how kids get suspended from school
Of how people get sentenced to unusual times
It’s a cruel and fucked up system and
you’re a liar if you say it’s fine
It makes me sick and I want to cry when I think about my students
who could one day die from a simple speeding ticket or from walking late at night
or for just looking suspicious or for not being fucking white.
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2. |
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If I were black, I’d be in jail or dead.
I’ve gotten off easy since I’ve got white skin.
Cops have given me free passes when I was blatantly at fault
If my skin were darker, I’d be the target of law-sanctioned assault
It makes me sick and I want to cry when I think about my students
who could one day die from a simple speeding ticket or from walking late at night
or for just looking suspicious or for not being white.
Our leaders in this country for centuries
Have supported racist policy to bring
brown bodies to their knees
Like Mayor Bloomberg’s stop and frisk
More like stop and slam
You understand something is amiss
When cops stop people of color who are just walking along
Assuming they’re suspicious when they’re doing nothing wrong
It happens all the time, but not to white guys like me
You don’t have to do crime to serve time in this backwards country
Lord God above, hear our plea
We are sick and tired of the injustices we see
In 2015…the numbers are obscene
Police killed 104 unarmed black people on the scene
While in 2019, can you believe, they took a white mass shooter safely into custody
God, I pray for drastic change
We need it now, not some far off day
Work in human hearts and help us find away
To eliminate violence caused by prejudice and hate.
We’ve had so many wake up calls
But not everyone’s awake.
How do you open the eyes of people who refuse
Because they have so much pride or power at stake…
God you’ve raised up leaders and voices
Who have made change because of their demands
Inspire this nation to join the struggle
Spark our hearts to make a stand
For equity. For justice. For saving lives. There is always more to do
Lord we cannot do it alone. We need your love and your guidance too
You are great. You are holy. You are the reason I can breathe
When I doubt…could you show me something to help me believe.
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3. |
Keep the Dead Alive
02:41
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4. |
Velint Credere
02:13
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5. |
No Fear of Death
04:29
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6. |
11,200 Days
02:53
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7. |
Sweet Herbs
02:46
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St. Augustine's Day New Haven, Connecticut
A native Texan, Will Parker (he/him) has been immersed in a wide range of musical influence over the years--as is apparent in his tendency to fuse genres. From lyrical rap to folk punk to kid’s music, he uses a variety of styles in his songs. Seen on guitar, ukulele and harmonica, his shows are engaging, high-energy and often involved audience participation. ... more
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