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lyrics

I learned to speak english at Sierre Leone
I learned english was the words of freedom
Mende the tongue of slaves, of chattel, of negroes
in the halls of justice she throws

around liberty language Africans can't understand it
or would not or even further should not
justice is exclusively english I wish my words would exist
in circuit, Supreme, and district


Listen.
This is the resistance.
Listen up.
This is the resistance.
Listen up now.
Resistance is existence.

Why would "give us free"-- a definitive
moment be in english instead of Mende
what message are we sending?
that slavery is never ending? It's time to end that.

colonial language in action
court-sanctioned satisfaction
on behalf of
justice above
eternal beloved
oh great divine favor
please remind the slaves that they will never be our neighbor

we silence the vanquished with opposite language
the opposite of providence is government,
its obvious we are judging justice
with English in our clutches
that much is true

we don't ask about the how, when, why, or who
we pursue virtue through those that sound like we do
but liberation is resisting the english nation
Mende is the destiny Mende is the best of me

credits

from Fifty​-​Three Slaves (An Amistad Project), released November 6, 2014

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At The Regal image

At The Regal Austin, Texas

At The Regal is the musical project of myself, Marlon Hedrick.


I am interested in the motion between words and phrases and worlds and places.



Booking/Contact info: hedrickm@utexas.edu



soundcloud.com/at-the-regal





Thanks to Travis Riddle for the banner and Anushka Jasraj for the profile picture artwork. ... more

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