Miriam Makeba - A Piece of Ground lyrics
[Miriam Makeba - A Piece of Ground lyrics]
When the white man first came
Here from over the seas
He looked and he said
This is God's own country
He was mighty well please
D with this land that he'd found
And he said I will make here
My own piece of ground
Now many's the battle he still had to fight
Many's the family that died in the night
For many were the black men
That lived all around
And all of them wanting their
Own piece of ground
Then one fine day in 1883
Gold was discovered in good quantity
The country was rich
Much richer than planned
And each digger wanted his own piece of land
Now the white diggers were few and
The gold was so deep
That the black man was called
'cause his labor was cheap
With drill and with shovel
He toiled underground
For six pennies a day to tender the ground
Now this land is so rich and
It seems strange to me
That the black man whose labor
Has helped it to be
Cannot enjoy the fruit's that abound
Is uprooted and kicked from his
Own piece of ground
Some people say now don't you worry
We've kept you a nice
Piece of reserve territory
But how can a life for so many be found
On a miserable thirty per cent of the ground?
Yet, some people say now don't you worry
You can always find jobs in
The white man's city
But don't stay too long and
Don't stay too deep
Or you're bound to disturb the
White man in his sleep
White man don't sleep long and
Don't sleep too deep
Or your life and your possessions
How long will you keep?
For I've heard a rumor that's running around
That the black man's demanding his
Own piece of ground his own piece of ground
Here from over the seas
He looked and he said
This is God's own country
He was mighty well please
D with this land that he'd found
And he said I will make here
My own piece of ground
Now many's the battle he still had to fight
Many's the family that died in the night
For many were the black men
That lived all around
And all of them wanting their
Own piece of ground
Then one fine day in 1883
Gold was discovered in good quantity
The country was rich
Much richer than planned
And each digger wanted his own piece of land
Now the white diggers were few and
The gold was so deep
That the black man was called
'cause his labor was cheap
With drill and with shovel
He toiled underground
For six pennies a day to tender the ground
Now this land is so rich and
It seems strange to me
That the black man whose labor
Has helped it to be
Cannot enjoy the fruit's that abound
Is uprooted and kicked from his
Own piece of ground
Some people say now don't you worry
We've kept you a nice
Piece of reserve territory
But how can a life for so many be found
On a miserable thirty per cent of the ground?
Yet, some people say now don't you worry
You can always find jobs in
The white man's city
But don't stay too long and
Don't stay too deep
Or you're bound to disturb the
White man in his sleep
White man don't sleep long and
Don't sleep too deep
Or your life and your possessions
How long will you keep?
For I've heard a rumor that's running around
That the black man's demanding his
Own piece of ground his own piece of ground