OSAWATOMIE

Carl Sandburg

Nar: I don’t know how he came, shambling, dark, and strong.

All: He stood in the city and told men:

Solo 1: My people are fools, my people are young and strong,

my people must learn, my people are terrible

workers and fighters.

All: Always he kept on asking:

Solo 1: Where did that blood come from?

All: They said:

Solo 1: You fro the fool killer,

You for the booby hatch

And a necktie party.

All: They hauled him into jail. They sneered at him and spit

on him,

And he wrecked their jails, singing,

Solo 2: “God damn your jails,”

All: And when he was most in jail Crummy among the crazy in the dark,

Then he was most of all out of jail

All: Shambling, dark, and strong, Always asking:

Solo 1: Where did that blood come from?

All: They laid hands on him and the fool killers had a laugh

And the necktie party was a go, by God.

All: They laid hands on him and he was a goner.

They hammered him to pieces and he stood up.

Solo 1: They buried him and he walked out of the grave, by God,

Asking again: Where did that blood come from?