Tuesday, June 13, 2006

I will Cry for You

You were taken, captured in your homeland
You were stolen, from your mother's hands
No one remembers you now, but I will promise you

I will cry for you
Buried somewhere, you escaped the nightmare
All the horrors, trapped in a world without prayers
Your name is lost forever but I will promise you
I will celebrate your memory
and I will cry for you





I always wanted to write a song about the African holocaust. The hundreds of years of Institutionalized Slavery in the 'New World'. I wish people would listen to this CD just for that lyric. I actually did become so emotional in the studio that I cried when we were recording this, which is why my voice started to shake. This song came about because I once thought about how difficult it was to trace our complete ancestry as Africans. So many of us died
anonymous deaths here after leading anonymous lives as chattel. Or what of the disappeared and those who simply did not survive the voyages? Unceremoniously thrown overboard, to lighten the load of the slave ship. To be kidnapped and brutalized in a foreign new world was no minor difficulty. The burden of truth makes people squirm with nervousness whenever the subject of slavery is addressed. I've done interviews in support of the CD: "Thunder in the Jungle" and my more danceable, rhythmic Caribbean music is more what people expect from an 'Island" musician. Only reggae artist can be serious, right?



"I Will Cry For You" Lyrics: Rasheed Ali From: Thunder in the Jungle CD http://cdbaby.com/cd/rainpeople