O Bill Moore walked that lonesome highway,
He dared to walk there by himself;
None of us here were walking with him,
He walked that highway by himself.
Yes, he walked to Alabama
He walked that road for you and me,
In his life there was the purpose
That black & white might both be free.
He walked for peace, he walked for freedom,
He walked for truth, he walked for right
End segregation in this country
Eat at Joe‘s both black & white.
O Bill Moore walked that lonesome highway,
He dared to walk there by himself;
None of us here were walking with him,
He walked that highway by himself.
The lynchers' bullets know no color
As they come whining thru the night,
They'vebrought death to many a Negro
And William Moore whose skin was white.
They shot him down in coldblood murder
Two bullet holes were in his head,
His body lay upon the road-way
Where lynchers left him cold & dead.
O Bill Moore walked that lonesome highway,
He dared to walk there by himself;
None of us here were walking with him,
He walked that highway by himself.
Each man must walk his lonesome highway
Each must decide it for himself,
No one else can do that for you
You've got to walk there by yourself
Some day we'll all walk there together
And we'll knock on Freedom's door
And if they ask, who was it sent you,
We'll say a man named William Moore.
He walked for peace, he walked for freedom
He walked for truth, he walked for right
End segregation in this country
Eat at Joe‘s, both black & White
He dared to walk there by himself;
None of us here were walking with him,
He walked that highway by himself.
Yes, he walked to Alabama
He walked that road for you and me,
In his life there was the purpose
That black & white might both be free.
He walked for peace, he walked for freedom,
He walked for truth, he walked for right
End segregation in this country
Eat at Joe‘s both black & white.
O Bill Moore walked that lonesome highway,
He dared to walk there by himself;
None of us here were walking with him,
He walked that highway by himself.
The lynchers' bullets know no color
As they come whining thru the night,
They'vebrought death to many a Negro
And William Moore whose skin was white.
They shot him down in coldblood murder
Two bullet holes were in his head,
His body lay upon the road-way
Where lynchers left him cold & dead.
O Bill Moore walked that lonesome highway,
He dared to walk there by himself;
None of us here were walking with him,
He walked that highway by himself.
Each man must walk his lonesome highway
Each must decide it for himself,
No one else can do that for you
You've got to walk there by yourself
Some day we'll all walk there together
And we'll knock on Freedom's door
And if they ask, who was it sent you,
We'll say a man named William Moore.
He walked for peace, he walked for freedom
He walked for truth, he walked for right
End segregation in this country
Eat at Joe‘s, both black & White
Contributed by dq82 - 2016/10/26 - 21:29
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Broadside #26, maggio 1963
Tune: "That Lonesome Valley"
Hanno scritto canzoni per William Moore anche Phil Ochs, Wolf Biermann e Pete Seeger
On April 26 an Alabama judge found Rev. King and nine other Negro leaders guilty of contempt and gave a fine and jail sentences...
Meanwhile U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy paid a "courtesy call“ on the Alabama governor....Then flying back to the Capitol, he, with other Washington officials, went hiking along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal on April 27.
During this period another hiker, William Moore, walked
southern roads carrying a message with an appeal for
decency to southern governors. A big friendly, smiling, peaceable family man with three children, Bill Moore carried a sign: “End Segregation in America - Eat At Joe's Both Black and White"; and on the other side: "Equal Rights For All"
But he was never to deliver his message to the governors.
On the night of April 23 he was shot to death on a lonely stretch of U.S. Highway near Attala, Alabama.
Bill Moore is a symbol. His name will go into the legends of folklore of the common people who eternally yearn for friendly human relations. His own words "is it not normal to want..good will toward men?" lie heavy upon the conscience of the nation in these times demanding decision’.~ Don West
Broadside #26