Tonight’s song is not one you’re likely to remember, nor one that was on your playlist when it was released back in 1986. It only made it to #173 in the U.S. and did not chart outside the U.S. However, it is a song with deep meaning, a song that speaks volumes and is a poignant reminder of where we have been, and where we are today as we celebrate Black History Month.
This is the title song of a 1986 studio album by American folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Its release coincided with the group’s 25th anniversary. Produced by John McClure and Peter Yarrow, the album was nominated in 1987 in the Best Contemporary Folk Album category at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards.
The album was their first in almost nine years, and this title song was actually written for Nelson Mandela. The group sought to connect the causes of Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. A few years later, Peter, Paul and Mary would perform No Easy Walk to Freedom at an event in Tokyo honoring Mandela shortly after his release from prison.
No Easy Walk to Freedom
Peter, Paul and Mary
Brother Martin was walkin with me
And every step I heard liberty
Tho he’s fallin’, come a million behind!
Glory, Hallelujah, gonna make it this time!
No easy walk to freedom,
No easy walk to freedom,
Keep on walkin’ and we shall be free
That’s how we’re gonna make history
Across the ocean, the blood’s running warm
I, I hear it coming, there’s a thunderin’ storm
Just like we lived it, you know that it’s true
Nelson Mandela, now we’re walkin’ with you!
No easy walk to freedom,
No easy walk to freedom,
Keep on walkin’ and we shall be free
That’s how we’re gonna make history
In our land, not so long ago,
We lived the struggle, and that’s how we know
Slavery abolished, comin’ freedom’s call
Keep on walking and apartheid will fall!
No easy walk to freedom,
No easy walk to freedom,
Keep on walkin’ and we shall be free
That’s how we’re gonna make history
Oh, bread for the body, there’s got to be
But a soul will die without liberty
Pray for the day when the struggle is past!
Freedom for all! Free at last! Free at last!
You and me!
Songwriters: Peter Yarrow / Tabankim Margery
No Easy Walk to Freedom lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc
Filosofa's Word 
Jill, their advocacy never ceased. I admire their endurance. Thanks for sharing. Keith
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My pleasure, Keith. I’ll be playing another that you often quote in a few days as part of Black History month.
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Reblogged this on Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News.
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Thank you, Ned!!!
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With Ron DeSantis blocking the road, freedom is now further away than anytime of late. It’s bad enough to deny the Holocaust, but to deny Black people were ever slaves, or the object of white hatred and racism, that is a whole new level if denial. It breaks my heart to live in a time where people like DeSantis are not just villified for their views, but praised and elected to government office. The walk to freedom is a lot longer than it was 30 years ago.
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I know I have played this song for you before, but for your readers who might not know it, this is a song that is special to me, and jopefully will be to anyone involved in the struggle for freedom.
The mai body of the lyrics can be found at https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ericburdon/theycanttakeawayourmusic.html
but without the ad-libs which Eric is so famous for.
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If you have played that one for me before, I must have forgotten, for it didn’t ring a bell (but then, my memory ain’t what it used to be, either). I really like this one … as you know, I’m not a big fan of Eric Burdon, but I do like this one. Thanks!!!
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Lol. Your taste is changing. You panned it last time, not necessarily for the song itself, but you weren’t sure about War.
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I don’t think I paid much attention to the lyrics this time. Plus, as I often say, much depends on my mood of the moment.
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I know I have played this song for you before, but for your readers who might not know it, this is a song that is special to me, and jopefully will be to anyone involved in the struggle for freedom.
The main body of the lyrics can be found at https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ericburdon/theycanttakeawayourmusic.html
but without the ad-libs which Eric is so famous for.
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Well, for now at least, DeSantis’ power is limited to one state. I cringe at the thought that he could actually become the next president, but that’s a bridge that’s in the future. It breaks my heart, too, to live in an era where it seems that some are trying not only to erase our past, but to ensure that the future is mired in darkness. I’ve no longer got hope for a brighter future for the U.S.
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Heart touching lyrics. You are right, Jill! It was now the first time i had listened to this song. Best wishes, Michael
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I would bet it was never played on a radio station in Germany. But I’m glad you understood the meaningfulness of it. Sigh … sadly, the U.S. will never overcome it’s racism, it seems. xx
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Reblogged this on https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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