Phil Ochs Ballad of Medgar Evers Lyrics:
Em G D
In the state of Mississippi many years ago
Am Em
A boy of 14 years got a taste of southern law
Em G D
He saw his friend a hanging and
his color was his crime
Am Em
And the blood upon his jacket
left a brand upon his mind

Am D G
CHORUS: Too many martyrs and too many dead
Am D G (Em optional)
Too many lies too many empty words were said
Am D G
Too many times for too many angry men
Am D Em
Oh let it never be again

His name was Medgar Evers and he
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walked his road alone
Like Emmett Till and thousands more
whose names we'll never know
They tried to burn his home and
they beat him to the ground
But deep inside they both knew what
it took to bring him down
*chorus*

The killer waited by his home hidden by the night
As Evers stepped out from his
car into the rifle sight
he slowly squeezed the trigger,
the bullet left his side
It struck the heart of every man
when Evers fell and died.
*chorus*

And they laid him in his grave while
the bugle sounded clear
laid him in his grave when the victory was near
While we waited for the future for
freedom through the land (*)
The country gained a killer and
the country lost a man
*chorus*
Lyrics: Ballad of Medgar Evers, Phil Ochs [end]