Cotton and Crimson Sky

[Intro] (Acoustic guitar enters with bluesy bends, joined by brushed snare drum and walking bass line. Subtle jazz 9th chords color the progression.) [Verse 1] Sun cracks the Georgia clay on my hands This ain't my grandaddy's promised land Bend low, feel the boll's sharp bite Work from the starless cold to the fading light Master's whip sings a cruel, thin song But the rhythm in my soul, Lord, it keeps me strong This field stretches wide, like an ocean of pain Dreamin' of a river to wash away the stain [Chorus] Oh, Cotton and Crimson Sky You bear witness to the tear I cry Rooted deep where the tall pines sigh Freedom's just beyond that hill, so high We bend, but we don't break For our children's future's sake Underneath this Cotton and Crimson Sky [Verse 2] Mama hummed a tune soft and low A hidden map only the weary know 'Bout Moses guiding through the night To a place bathed in sweet freedom's light Brother's back bears the tally mark But his spirit's a fire, b*****g bright in the dark We gather 'round embers when the overseer's gone Pass the strength along, 'fore the coming dawn [Chorus] Oh, Cotton and Crimson Sky You bear witness to the tear I cry Rooted deep where the tall pines sigh Freedom's just beyond that hill, so high We bend, but we don't break For our children's future's sake Underneath this Cotton and Crimson Sky [Bridge] (Electric guitar enters with a soulful, slightly dissonant jazz-blues solo over acoustic rhythm, bass walks deliberately, drums become more insistent) Whispers rise from the rows, carried on the breeze A chorus of longing rustling through the trees This heavy chain won't shackle my mind The hope we carry, no one can bind Like a seed buried deep, waiting for the rain We hold the dream close, again and again [Chorus] Oh, Cotton and Crimson Sky You bear witness to the tear I cry Rooted deep where the tall pines sigh Freedom's just beyond that hill, so high We bend, but we don't break For our children's future's sake Underneath this Cotton and Crimson Sky [Outro] (Acoustic guitar returns to the forefront with a gentle, slightly hopeful country-blues picking pattern. Bass and drums gradually fade. Vocal ad-libs hum the chorus melody softly. Instruments slowly diminish to silence, leaving the acoustic guitar's final, resolved chord hanging softly.)