Saint Bill & the Cross of Amerikkka

This is how it happened
Jesus Christ had to die
No matter what you’d done
He’d die

Pilate repeatedly said no
But Caiaphas insisted so much
They condemned the man
He did not eat for two days
With two branches on his back
He was falling at each step

Pilate looked at him with pity
All the roman soldiers looked at him too
That was when a huge black man passed by
a huge black man like Paul Robeson
Passed by—

Simon from Cyrene
He looked at Jesus with the kind of look
Black men have
Pilate signaled the soldiers
They fell upon Simon and beat him soundly
And they told him: Take up the cross
And carry it

Simon took the cross with one hand
He took the cross from the white man
He ran up the hill
Singing, dancing
Left everybody behind
He sang and danced

Tossed the cross in the air
Caught the cross
Passed the cross through his legs
Tossed it again in the air
This time, the cross stood in the air by itself
Everybody shouted: Miracle

The cross came down
Simon caught it and played with it some more
Before he gave it back to Jesus

Well, since that happened
Whenever a load is too heavy for the white man
They call on the black man to carry it

That’s alright: We sing and dance
Beating our drums big and small
Playing the big bamboo flute
Our back is broad enough
To carry any load

Since that happened
Whenever a cross is too heavy for the white man
They call on the black man to help
We help bear the crosses
We help carry the guns
We help pay for the crimes
Sometimes
We are even made to bear
All the sins of the world

(from Diacoute I)