I come from alabama and I work a ten pound hammer

And my womans picking cotton for the bossman on the hill

They work us till they break our back

And beat us cos our skin is black

I guess I'll have to slave till the whip is in the grave

When will we be free

I wanna walk down any road

And feel we have our liberty

From day to day we live to die

The scars across my back don't lie

Ain't there anyone out there

To hear my freedom cry

Now I believe a man's a man who earns his pay as best he can

The colour of his skin don't mean that he ain't just like you

But white folk here don't give a hell

They think that we were born to smell

Of sweat and dust and dirt

And pull a plough until we die

When will we be free

I wanna walk down any road

And feel we have our liberty

These shoes I'm wearing every day

Got holes the size of frisco bay

I'm praying for the time

When there will come a judgement day

You all know how long it is since lincoln made their promices

That one day we would walk alone the white side of the street

But there was some bad folk around

Who got so riled they shot him down

And there ain't a cop in town

Who wouldn't do the same for me

When will we be free

I wanna walk down any road

And feel I've got my liberty

When will we be free

When will we be free

When will we be free

When will we be free