"MOROCCAN FRUIT" BY RED EYE
This track was inspired by Nina Simone's version of "Strange Fruit". As I listened to Nina's version of "Strange Fruit", about the racism and lynching of African Americans in the 1930's, I wondered what she would be singing about now. Then I saw the haunting photo by Jose Palazon, of the migrants' rights group Pro De In. The photo shows Moroccan immigrants in Melilla, Spain, hanging onto a fence at a golf course at a border. I was immediately inspired by the combination, linked the two together and wrote the song.
Lyrics
1st Verse:
Moroccan fruit hangs from the fence,
It swings in vain, in high suspense,
Golfers play on take no notice,
It's just a game.
1st Chorus:
It's not a swarm, it's not a flood,
But a constant flow of blood,
We don't want you in our club,
Look away, look away.
2nd Verse:
African blood lies on the tracks,
It escaped war, genocide, attacks,
The freedom train demands a fatal tax,
And he paid in full.
2nd Chorus:
You send a drone, you drop a bomb,
And wonder why the people come,
But when they plead for asylum,
Look away, look away.
Mid 8:
My boy said come look at the picture,
There on the beach, a boy like me,
He's playing dead, please can I play that game,
Will you play that game with me....eh.
3rd/final verse:
Young Arab flesh lies on the sand,
Far too young to understand,
His father paid cash on demand,
So he could die free.
What price liberty