(1929-1968)
Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that love and peaceful protest could eliminate social injustice. A clergyman and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, he was one of the outstanding African-American leaders of the United States at a time when many blacks were clearly treated as inferior people. His house was bombed and his life and family was often threatened, but until the day he died, Dr. King continued to teach people the world over to protest peacefully in order to achieve equality and peace.
MARTIN
(By Jonathan Sprout)
He was born a Georgia boy
In 1929.
When black and white were separate,
He dared to cross the line.
He watched as others called him
By the color of his skin
And he knew he'd have to change things
From the way they'd always been.
So he raised his voice
And this is what he said:
REFRAIN: We have to change the world
Change the world
Change the world with our hearts.
I have a dream.
He led the way with freedom marches
In the name of civil rights.
There were those who tried to stop him
When they blamed him for the fights.
But every time he went to jail
He managed to survive.
'Cause Martin trusted righteousness
To keep his dream alive.
And when he raised his voice,
This is what he said:
What about my people?
We have the right to stand tall!
What about my people?
REFRAIN
It was an April night in Memphis
When his life came to an end.
Now millions speak the message
Of the man they call their friend.
"We shall overcome" 'cause prejudice is wrong.
The dream is still alive
Someday we'll all get along.
Though the man is gone, his voice is loud and clear.
REFRAIN
© 1995 Kanukatunes (ASCAP)
"I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Martin" was the first hero song I wrote, in 1994. I remember wanting to somehow show Dr. King’s different way of looking at the world, a way that included his love for humanity as well as his intellectual brilliance.
Links:
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, Atlanta, GA
Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, AL
