The Scottsboro Boys

Lyrics

[THE INTERLOCUTOR, spoken] And what happened to the boys in the short years that followed? Ladies and gentlemen, the grand finale of our minstrel show! [ALL] Ev'ry member of society Celebrates our notoriety Step right up and meet the Scottsboro Boys Ev'ry communist throughout the land Wants to volunteer to lend a hand They all wanna kiss the Scottsboro Boys Since they heard we're such a wow MGM is calling now Zanuck's also on the phone And the many Warner Brothers won't leave us alone Hey, little boy Go be a star Big swimming pool Cadillac car Johnny Barrymore and Fanny Brice Think they've stumbled into paradise When they stop and greet the Scottsboro Boys [ANDY, spoken] When the first four got out, Leibowitz put 'em in vaudeville. He hoped people wouldn't forget about the rest of us in jail. But guess what, they already had [ALL] The Scottsboro Boys [WILLIE, spoken] But me? I could never forget! [OLEN, spoken] I kept hopin' my life would begin [EUGENE, spoken] I kept hopin' my nightmares would stop [ROY, spoken] One day, I gave up hopin'. I shot myself [ALL] The Scottsboro Boys [CHARLIE, spoken] I was paroled in '43 [CLARENCE, spoken] Ozie and me got paroled in '46. Did we finally get justice? [CHARLIE, spoken] A black man with a record? [CLARENCE, spoken] Hell, we couldn't even get jobs. Isn't that right, Ozie? [ALL] Social ladies in New York Men who use a pickled fork All they ever ask of you Is "tell me, do you like it with one lump or two?" [HAYWOOD, spoken] After twenty-two years, twenty-two, I died in jail. I wrote it all down in a book. I told the truth. There's nothin' more I can do [ALL] Read the morning papers ev'ry day Read what all the gossip columns say Hey, hey, hey, hey Join in the merriment Come on, make some noise Hey, hey, say goodbye to the Scottsboro Boys [THE INTERLOCUTOR, spoken] A happy ending, just like I promised, everyone's favorite, the cakewalk! Dance break Gentlemen be seated. Gentlemen be seated! Be seated! Gentlemen! Be seated! Lady, you can't there. Move to the back of the bus. Colored in the back of the bus. Move to the back! [A LADY, spoken] No. Not anymore. I'm gonna sit here and rest my feet