Em G D
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In the state of Mississippi many years ago
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Am Em
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A boy of 14 years got a taste of southern law
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Em G D
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He saw his friend a hanging and his color was his crime
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Am Em
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And the blood upon his jacket left a brand upon his mind
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Am D G
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CHORUS: Too many martyrs and too many dead
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Am D G (Em optional)
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Too many lies too many empty words were said
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Am D G
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Too many times for too many angry men
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Am D Em
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Oh let it never be again
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His name was Medgar Evers and he walked his road alone
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Like Emmett Till and thousands more whose names we'll never know
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They tried to burn his home and they beat him to the ground
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But deep inside they both knew what it took to bring him down
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*chorus*
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The killer waited by his home hidden by the night
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As Evers stepped out from his car into the rifle sight
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he slowly squeezed the trigger, the bullet left his side
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It struck the heart of every man when Evers fell and died.
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*chorus*
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And they laid him in his grave while the bugle sounded clear
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laid him in his grave when the victory was near
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While we waited for the future for freedom through the land (*)
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The country gained a killer and the country lost a man
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*chorus*
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-----------------
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Too Many Martyrs
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| Phil Ochs |
