Rosewood

They say the whole thing started with Fanny Taylor's lie
That spark, lit the flame, fear and hatred fed the fire
Truly, it started centuries ago
Ships with human cargo chained down below

I was in the third grade, I could read an' write
I remember every thing, the moon was full and bright
So bright, you could see shadows at midnight
The night they burned Rosewood to the ground

Rosewood, Rosewood
Buried in the ashes of history
Rosewood, Rosewood
Where my family home used to be

Had to put on heavy clothes, fast as we could
There was shootin' everywhere
Had to get out in the woods
First person killed was my uncle
Sam Carter was his name
What happened in Rosewood that night
Nothin' but a crime an' a shame

Newspapers told how many
Whites and blacks were counted dead
But the tears had no color
The tears their families shed
Anyway, the numbers in the papers
Were nowhere near the truth
Coulda been ten, coulda been a hundred
We had no proof

Rosewood, Rosewood
Buried in the ashes of history
Rosewood, Rosewood
Where my family home used to be

The first day of the New Year, 1923
Burned like a brand on a child's memory
Hidin' in the swamps, prayin' we'd get away
Never talked about it, mm, 'til today

Rosewood, Rosewood
Buried in the ashes of history
Rosewood, Rosewood
Where my family home used to be

Burned like a brand on a child's memory
Where my family's home used to be