Cry Freedom Lyrics

[Verse 1]
How can I turn away
Brother/Sister go dancing
Through my head
Human as to human
The future is no place
To place your better days
Cry freedom cry
From a crowd 10,000 wide
Hope laid upon hope
That this crowd will not subside
Let this flag burn to dust
And a new a fair design be raised

While we wait head in hands
Hands in prayer
And fall into a dreamless sleep again
And we wave our hands

[Chorus]
Hands and feet are all alike
But gold between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
But fear between divide us
All slip away

[Verse 3]
There was a window and by it stood
A mirror in which
He could see himself
He thought of something
Something he had never had but hoped would come along
Cry freedom, cry
From deep inside
Where we are all confined
While we wave hands in fire
Wave our hands
[Chorus]

[Verse 4]
In this room stood a little child
And in this room this little child
She would remain
Until someone might decide
To dance this little child
Across this hall
Into a cold, dark, space
Where she might never trace her way across this crooked mile
Across this crooked page
Cry freedom, cry
From deep inside where
We are all confined
Till we wave our hands
How can I turn away
Brother/Sister go dancing
Through my head
Human as to human
The future is no place
To place your better days

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
Hear what I say [x2]
Oh, so be it
[Outro]
How can I turn away
Brother/Sister go dancing
Through my head
Human as to human
The future is no place
To place your better days

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

Influenced by Steven Biko, leader of the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa in the 1970s, Dave Matthews' birth nation. Although the song is among the band’s first played, it was released after the fall of apartheid, a system of racial segregation in South Africa.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Credits
Produced By
Written By
Drums, backing vocals
Woodwinds
Release Date
April 30, 1996
Tags
Comments