He Was My Brother

He was my brother
Five years older than I
He was my brother
Twenty-three years old the day he died

Freedom rider
They cursed my brother to his face
Go home outsider
Mississippi's gonna be your buryin' place

He was singin' on his knees
An angry mob trailed along
They shot my brother dead
Because he hated what was wrong

He was my brother
Tears can't bring him back to me
He was my brother
And he died so his brothers could be free
Oh, God, he died so his brothers could be free

 

Guitarra: Paul Simon

 

© 1965 Paul Simon (BMI)
Disco:
The Paul Simon Songbook

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Comentarios: Canción inspirada en Andrew Goodman, compañero de universidad de Simon (Queen College), quien fue uno de los tres activistas de los derechos civiles asesinados en 1964 durante el "Freedom Summer" en el sur de los Estados Unidos. Los otros dos activistas fueron James Chaney y Michael Schwerner. El asesinato de Goodman, Chaney y Schwerner fue un evento trágico que marcó un punto crucial en la lucha por los derechos civiles en Estados Unidos.
El crédito de esta canción en el LP original es de "Paul Kane", uno de los alias usados por Paul Simon al principio de su carrera.