The world was a place With threat all around Poverty and fascism Were gaining ground Some people saw The power of you and me And created the theatre of Unity A black man came walking Into Somers Town A man with a mission To keep no man down Theatre and music Were his weapons of choice But strongest of all Was his powerful voice People do best When we work together Stand in unity, show we care Robeson came And sang for us all The lives we lead And the hopes we share Almost an outlaw In his homeland then Got no parts To sing to other men Off he travelled Seeking friends abroad In Somers Town he found them And they struck a chord "Plant in the Sun" Shows how we can unite Coming together For a common fight Don’t let the bosses Keep you far apart Strength comes from Unity of mind and heart People do best When we work together Stand in unity, show we care Robeson came And sang for us all The lives we lead And the hopes we share He was large in stature And spirit as well Humble and respectful Those who knew him tell Sweeping up floors He was happy to do But his voice was his gift How he told what’s true Working at the Unity Was close to his heart Saying what he wanted Through his talent and art Clearly at home Enthralling all around The beauty of his voice Bathing all with sound People do best When we work together Stand in unity, show we care Robeson came And sang for us all The lives we lead And the hopes we share Performing here Was a great success Awards and good reviews All over the press They even went to parliament To gain more support The lives of working people Had the focus they ought The artist must Take sides you know To fight for slavery Or freedom oh My father was a slave How can I forget My scripts champion equality Which I don’t get
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Unity
Somers Town, near King's Cross, London. A lesson from history. The artist must take sides, you know. From the KENTISH TOWN album.
This is track 4 on the Kentish Town album.
The full playlist for the album is here.
The full list of songs is here.
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