Talking Birmingham Jam Lyrics by Phil Ochs

Talking Birmingham Jam Lyrics

    Walkin' down to birmingham,
    Way down south in dixieland.
    I thought that i would stop a while
    Take a vacation southern style
    Got some southern hospitality...down there in a southern hospital.

    Well, all the signs said welcome in,
    Welcome if you're white my friend.
    Come along and watch the fights
    While we feed our dogs on civil rights.
    We believe in segregation...negroes in one mob...
    Policemen, politicians, dogs in the other

    Well i've seen travel in many ways
    I've traveled in cars and old subways
    But in birmingham some people chose
    To fly down the street from a fire hose.
    Doin' some hard travelin'...from hydrants of plenty.

    Well a pack of dogs was standin' by
    I walked up to them and i said "hi"
    Well i asked one dog what they all were doin'
    He walked up to me and started chewin'
    It was a black dog...seems everybody down there is prejudiced.

    Well i said there must be some men around
    There can't be only you dogs in town
    They said "sure we have old bull conner
    There he goes, walkin' yonder
    Throwin' some raw meat to the mayor...feedin' bones to the city council"

    Well i said "there's still something missing here,
    You must have a governor somewhere."
    Sure, he's doin' his duty, he ain't no fool
    He's blocking out kids from our schools
    Standin' in the doorway...crackin' jokes...gettin' re-elected.

    So, i asked em' how they spend their time
    With segregation on their mind.
    They said if you don't like to live this way
    Get outta here, go back to the u.s.a.
    Live with all them russians...new york agitatiors...yeah.

    Some say they've passed their darkest hour
    Those moderates are back in power.
    But listen close with open ears
    They'll help us out in a couple a hundred years.
    But don't push 'em...whatever you do...
    Or else you get those extremists back in.

    You see alabama is a soveriegn state
    With soveriegn dogs and soveriegn hate
    They stand for the bible, for the constitution
    They stand against communist revolution.
    They say: "it's pinkos like you that freed the slaves."

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