I woke up this morning feeling mighty bad.
I woke up this morning feeling mighty bad.
'Twas the worst old feeling that I ever had.
It's war on Ethiopia and mama's feeling blue.
It's war on Ethiopia, mama's feeling blue.
I tell the cockeyed world, I don't know what to do.
They say that Ethiopia is a long ways from here.
They say that Ethiopia's a long ways from here.
They're trying to steal my man and carry him over there.
I love my man, tell the cockeyed world I do.
I love my man, tell the cockeyed world I do.
It's coming up tight but he sure loves me too.
This old cockeyed world will make a good man treat you mean.
This old [cock]eyed world will make a good man treat you mean.
He will treat you just like a poor girl he's never seen.
It's war on Ethiopia and the man overhead.
It's war on Ethiopia and the man overhead.
I tell the cockeyed world the things my baby said.
It's war on Ethiopia. Baby, please, please behave.
It's war on Ethiopia. Please, please behave.
I'll tell the cockeyed world, I'll follow you to your grave.
That's right.
I woke up this morning feeling mighty bad.
'Twas the worst old feeling that I ever had.
It's war on Ethiopia and mama's feeling blue.
It's war on Ethiopia, mama's feeling blue.
I tell the cockeyed world, I don't know what to do.
They say that Ethiopia is a long ways from here.
They say that Ethiopia's a long ways from here.
They're trying to steal my man and carry him over there.
I love my man, tell the cockeyed world I do.
I love my man, tell the cockeyed world I do.
It's coming up tight but he sure loves me too.
This old cockeyed world will make a good man treat you mean.
This old [cock]eyed world will make a good man treat you mean.
He will treat you just like a poor girl he's never seen.
It's war on Ethiopia and the man overhead.
It's war on Ethiopia and the man overhead.
I tell the cockeyed world the things my baby said.
It's war on Ethiopia. Baby, please, please behave.
It's war on Ethiopia. Please, please behave.
I'll tell the cockeyed world, I'll follow you to your grave.
That's right.
inviata da Dead End - 27/9/2012 - 11:08
Fascist Legacy ("L'eredità del fascismo"), regia di Ken Kirby, BBC, 1989 (posto la prima di quattro parti presenti su YouTube)
Dead End - 27/9/2012 - 11:09
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Testo trovato sul blog Where Dead Voices Gather: The Anthology of American Folk Music Project
“The Cockeyed World”, o “Dell’assurdità del mondo” è un blues registrato nell’ottobre del 1935, pochi giorni dopo l’invasione italiana dell’Etiopia.
La brutale campagna coloniale fascista ebbe negli USA un forte impatto, soprattutto sulla comunità afroamericana, anche perché all’epoca l’Etiopia di Hailé Selassié era uno dei pochi Stati africani rimasti indipendenti. Alcuni afroamericani andarono addirittura a combattere a fianco dei fratelli etiopi (di questo si lamenta la donna della canzone, il cui uomo sta partendo volontario per l’Africa) già, ma all’epoca – e si veda soprattutto la guerra di Spagna – l’internazionalismo antifascista era una cosa seria, penso nello specifico alla campagna “Hands off Ethiopia” organizzata dal Partito comunista americano e da uno dei suoi dirigenti in particolare, l’afroamericano Harry Haywood di Chicago.
E forse non è un caso che il rastafarianesimo, la religione che vede nel Negus il Messia, si sia sviluppato, a partire dalla Giamaica e diffondendosi negli States, proprio negli anni 30…