YouLyric
Sign in
Sign up for free
Talking Birmingham Jam
Share
Phil Ochs
What's this song about?
Generate meaning
1
Walkin' down to Birmingham,
2
way down south in Dixieland.
3
I thought that I would stop a while
4
Take a vacation Southern style
5
Got some Southern hospitality...down there in a Southern hospital.
6
Well, all the signs said Welcome in,
7
Welcome if you're white my friend.
8
Come along and watch the fights
9
While we feed our dogs on civil rights.
10
We believe in segregation...Negroes in one mob...
11
Policemen, politicians, dogs in the other
12
Well I've seen travel in many ways
13
I've traveled in cars and old subways
14
But in Birmingham some people chose
15
To fly down the street from a fire hose.
16
Doin' some hard travelin'...from hydrants of plenty.
17
Well a pack of dogs was standin' by
18
I walked up to them and I said "Hi"
19
Well I asked one dog what they all were doin'
20
He walked up to me and started chewin'
21
It was a black dog...seems everybody down there is prejudiced.
22
Well I said there must be some men around
23
There can't be only you dogs in town
24
They said "Sure we have old Bull Conner
25
There he goes, walkin' yonder
26
Throwin' some raw meat to the mayor...feedin' bones to the City Council"
27
Well I said "there's still something missing here,
28
You must have a governor somewhere."
29
Sure, he's doin' his duty, he ain't no fool
30
He's blocking out kids from our schools
31
Standin' in the doorway...crackin' jokes...gettin' re-elected.
32
So, I asked em' how they spend their time
33
With segregation on their mind.
34
They said if you don't like to live this way
35
Get outta here, go back to the U.S.A.
36
Live with all them Russians...New York agitatiors...yeah.
37
Some say they've passed their darkest hour
38
Those moderates are back in power.
39
But listen close with open ears
40
They'll help us out in a couple a hundred years.
41
But don't push 'em...whatever you do...
42
or else you get those extremists back in.
43
You see Alabama is a soveriegn state
44
With soveriegn dogs and soveriegn hate
45
They stand for the Bible, for the Constitution
46
They stand against Communist revolution.
47
They say: "It's pinkos like you that freed the slaves."
16 views
0 meanings
Go Pro
Unlimited meanings ยท Priority generation
Upgrade