chain gang

and they beat back life with a stick
for not giving them their chance
for chaining their feet together
and not letting them dance

they shouted at the beauty
which they never had known
and the sons they lost
never having seen them grown

they cried for the women the loved
the ones too far gone
for the warmth they once shared
now lost for to long

they sang about the days of smiles
the ones that never stayed
for the soft grass and trees
when they were napping in the shade

they whispers for those lost
in the shuffle of the trade
for the shallow love they carried
all the way to the grave

they beat back life with a stick
and they never had their chance
for the people who cut their legs
and never let them dance