Stranger In This Land

I was the daughter
Of a little known king
When they came, And put me in a castle
My eyes had never seen
They spoke in tongues, I've never heard
They took me to the sea, At the edge of the earth

I journeyed tempest waters
Reached these distant shores
My clothes are tattered, And my soul is worn
I bore a daughter, In captivity
They came late one night, To take her away from me
I've cried and I've cried, Oh, Lord have mercy on me
Can't they see, That little girl Is royalty

I held my ground
And took my stand
Can't help Feeling sometimes
That I'm a stranger In this land
In this land of mine

My mother used, To cook and clean
For the rich folks On the hill
Made sure I got an education
And could hardly Pay the bills
I studied Schools of thought And philosophies of man
Started questioning
The contradictions In this land

I left the classroom, Joined the rallies, In the street
Marching hand in hand
In the Mississippi heat
I spent so many years, Of my life on the move
That confrontation Was the only thing I knew
Talking unity and how, We gone push on through
Can't even say no more, If anything's improved

I held my ground
And took my stand
Can't help, Feeling sometimes
That I'm a stranger, In this land
In this land of mine

Uh uh uh
Uh uh uh, uh

I'm a family man with a wife And two kids to feed
I dedicated my life, To seeing we succeed
The way I sought to make it, I learned to follow the rules
So we can make sure, Our children visit The finest schools
Grandmas on the weekends, Going on about the good old days
When decent black folks, Be trying to make a change
My parents used to tell me, To live my life steadfast
But some may ask me, What it is that I have

I held my ground
And took my stand
Can't help, Feeling sometimes
That I'm a stranger, In this land
In this land of mine

I held my ground
And took my stand
Can't help, Feeling sometimes
That I'm a stranger, In this land
In this land of mine