Billie Holiday _ Strange Fruit

Lyrics:

Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees

Pastoral scene of the gallant South
The bulgin’ eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burnin’ flesh

Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop

Here is an interesting comment I read under the video on YouTube.

Well, I think it’s a very touching song.

Men can be so evil one another, racism and ignorant bias are day by day bigger problems, in this (wannabe) globalised world.

But, much more than that, I was touched by the effort on treating that issue publicly in 40s, singing openly about that carrying that evident struggle.

Fighting for ideals and rights IS important. Is vital. So many people still believe society and the world is changeable in better – me included.

And the exertion of doing this totally fascinates me.

I know exist people who fight on the sly, unknown, spreading small but consistent acts of idealistic change every day (common people who help fight racism, bullying or misogyny everyday in public situations, for example).

These all are the very small stars that help keeping the world not so in the dark.