Only a Pawn in Their Game Lyrics

[Verse 1]
A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Evers' blood
A finger fired the trigger to his name
A handle hid out in the dark
A hand set the spark

Two eyes took the aim
Behind a man's brain
But he can't be blamed
He's only a pawn in their game

[Verse 2]
A south politician preaches to the poor white man
"You got more than the blacks, don't complain
You're better than them, you been born with white skin," they explain
And the Negro's name
Is used, it is plain
For the politician's gain
As he rises to fame

And the poor white remains
On the caboose of the train

But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game


[Verse 3]
The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid
And the marshals and cops get the same
But the poor white man's used in the hands of them all like a tool
He's taught in his school
From the start by the rule
That the laws are with him
To protect his white skin
To keep up his hate

So he never thinks straight
'Bout the shape that he's in

But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game

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About

Genius Annotation

The song describes the oppression of lower class southern whites. While the civil rights movement soars, they are simply used as manipulation by “the man” to continue racial oppression. They are nothing but pawns in this game.

Credits
Produced By
Written By
Vocals
Acoustic Guitar
Recorded At
Columbia Records - New York City
Release Date
January 13, 1964
Songs That Interpolate Only a Pawn in Their Game
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