Hey, Willy, Willy, come to the window
Hey, Willy, Willy, look at what I see
He's riding into town on a swayback mule
Got a tall black hat and he looks like a fool
But he sure is a-talking like he's been to school
And it's 1853 Hey,
Willy,
Willy,
listen what he's saying
Hey, Willy, Willy, he says it's getting late
And he says that all them black folks should
all be free To walk around same as you and me
And he's talking about a thing he calls democracy And it's 1858
Hey,
Willy,
Willy,
hear the band a-playing Hey,
Willy,
Willy,
you better get your gun
Cause the boys are cheering and the men are too
They're all putting on their coats of blue
They say our country's future is up to you
Cause it's 1861
Hey,
Willy,
Willy,
now the fighting's over Hey,
Willy,
Willy,
you've come home alive
But your coat of blue is stained with red
And the man in the tall black hat is dead
We gotta remember everything he said Cause it's 1865
Hey,
Willy,
Willy,
come to the window Hey,
Willy,
Willy,
look at what I see
I see black folks a-walking with the white They're
walking down a column that's a century wide
It's still along a bloody heart,
a damned hard fight
And it's 1964