The Essential Songbook
Lift Every Voice and Sing
This song is from Larry's album, American Fruits with African Roots. It was inspired by Nelson Mandela's release from prison [1]. It calls out with a powerful voice, proclaiming about the suffering endured and victory achieved.
Verse 1-Lead (Ensemble)
Lift every voice and sing!
Till earth and heaven ring,
ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise,
High as the list'ning skies.
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea!
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us.
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us!
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.
(Till victory is won! Till victory is won!)
Verse 2
Stony the road we trod.
Bitter the chast'ning rod.
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered.
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered!
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
True to Our God True to Our Native Land
(True to our native land! True to our native land!)
Bridge
Soon and very soon we are gonna see the king!
Soon and very soon we are gonna see the king!
I wish I knew it would feel to be free.
I wish I could break all the chains holding me!
Let us march on till victory (march on!)
Let us march on till victory (is won!)
Let us march on till victory (march on!)
Let us march on till victory (is won!)
Let us march on till victory (march on!)
Let us march on till victory is won!
Vamp - Ensemble
Victory, let us march on till victory is won!
Victory, let us march on till victory is won!
Victory, let us march on till victory is won!
Victory, let us march on, let us march on!
Repeat vamp as desired [2]
Reparations
In this song from American Fruits with African Roots, Larry sings, "We want reparations for the African Nation. No more deliberation, we're losing our patience." In his interview with us, Larry emphasized his song's renewed relevance to our world today [3].
We've been the poor, and the usedThe disdained and abused
DWB Driving While Black
WWB Walking While Black
SWB Standing While Black
The time is now
Don't think I've forgotten
What you've done to me
Bombings, castrations, lynchings, killings
Are part of my reality
This just can't go on
I won't be your slave
Butler, nanny, negro, quick trade
Driver or your maid
I want my land without your urban plan
The promise was made
It's time to be paid
We want reparations
For the African Nation
No more deliberation
We're losing our patience
Can't you see I'm determined
To be free
We shed too many tears
Over the years
Don't give me your lie
I still have my pride
All the hell you raise
Still my people do survive
I know we can turn our nation around
Pay your debt with interest
And a new Black Nation will resound
Reparations
Is compensation
For the humiliation
Degradation of our nation
We will be free
No longer in poverty
One God! One Aim! One Destiny!
Soon we'll all be free!
It's time for healing to take place in the land
Too many have given their lives for the dream
Soon we'll all be free!
It's time for us to become one nation
Charity starts at home
Do it for our children, do it for our future
Soon we'll all be free!
I have known rivers (free!)
And I have climbed mountains (free!)
I've walked in the valley (free!)
Oh! (free!)
My feets is tired (free!)
But my soul is rested (free!)
But will never, never, never turn back
We want reparations for the African Nation
Compensation [6x]
It's time, it's time, it's time
40 acres, 40 acres, 40 acres
40 acres and a mule
It's time, it's time, it's time
40 acres, 40 acres, 40 acres
40 acres and a mule [4]
Secrets
In this song from American Fruits with African Roots, Larry "takes a stab at the 'don't ask don't tell' mentality that continues to ruin individual lives, divide families and destroy many children who are forced to live with the 'secrets' of child abuse and loves that don't meet the approval of those who make judgements about race, sexual orientation, class and gender" [5].
In his interview with us, Larry shared a meaningful story about a time he performed this song at Sculler's Nightclub in Boston. Here is the transcription of that portion of the interview:
And I'm singing this song, "Secrets." And this woman gets, a black woman in the audience...And she's holding her hand up in the audience...I go, 'What is that woman doing?' So when we got through singing, we went off stage, she came backstage. and she said, 'Mr. Watson, I want to meet you."...She said, 'I was holding my hand up and walking through the audience. I'm 70 years old. Because his is the first time in my life, I've publicly acknowledged that I was molested by my father from the time I was 11 to the time I was 30. And your song, thank you, helped me to be public with that tonight.' That's the kind of experiences I've had with my music [6].
I can't keep this secret anymore
It's time to change my ways
Finding you has made me stronger than before
I'm facing better days
I've kept this secret, so deep in my heart
It's eating me inside
Time I swallowed my pride
No more wasting time
My life has changed
All those years pretending to be someone else
I played the role so well.
A bolt and chain around my heart
I stopped you before you could start
But you didn't give up, you unlocked my heart
you showed me love such good love
And I don't have a secret anymore.
I want to share my life with you because you took the time
and I don't give a damn what others say or do.
My life has meaning now
You've shown me more affection than I ever known.
Stay by my side
I'll never pretend, now that I've found myself
and I don't have to be someone else.
You didn't give up, you unlocked my heart
and you showed me love from the very start
and I don't have a secret anymore!
I'll never pretend now that I've found myself
and I don't have to be someone else
you didn't give up you unlocked my heart
and you showed me love from the very start
and I don't have a secret anymore.
I don’t have a secret,
I don’t have a secret.
I don’t have a secret,
I don’t have a secret.
No Secrets
No Secrets anymore
No secrets
No Secrets anymore [7]
Half Empty Glass
This song is also from Larry's album American Fruits with African Roots. A recent article in UnityFirst.com explains that "Half-Empty Glass" was written by Larry and Miklos Malek to "honor the lives of the ghastly number of Black men and Women executed by American Police officials while the remainder of the Black population peoples of color is enduring daily life under some form of House Arrest" [8].
About this song, Watson has said:
The song "Half-Empty Glass" affirms the treacherous battle we have fought since we first arrived in America. It has been unrelenting and is conquering civil and human rights we thought we had been victorious in solidifying permanently into the consciousness and American culture. We were wrong! King and Malcolm were wrong. We cannot be convinced after January 6th to see the glass of water as half full. It is almost empty. We can no longer inspire this generation by asking them to wait a little longer or see our struggle optimistically. We have no choice but to 'pull yourself up as only you can and play out the hand that you've been dealt. POUR FAITH IN YOUR HALF-EMPTY GLASS. In addition to the American court system demonstrating little humanity with millions of Black and Brown people populating our state prisons around the nation, we have seen former United States Presidents using the 'bully pulpit' of the Office of the Presidency to condone and promote the alarming membership increases in White Supremacy hate groups. Black and Brown people in America are confronted with a national crisis. The three branches of the Federal Government appear impotent" [9].
Verse 1-Male Lead
You can rush through life running red lights,
Pushing and shoving along.
Never taking time to see what you may have missed out on
Now the Years have passed and the sun has set
You view your life through a clouded lens
Blinded by tears you've mastered the art of regret
Your best friend
It's time to tear down that fence
Chorus
Don't you look at
that half empty glass
Don't ever be sorry for your past
Pull yourself up as only you can
Play out the hand that you've been dealt.
Pour faith in your half empty glass
Verse 2-Female Lead
You made a choice follow your voice
Right or wrong it's a fact
Get off the dime
Can't change things in retrospect
Take the chance, It's your turn to bat
Chorus
Don't you look at
that half empty glass
Don't ever be sorry for your past
Pull yourself up as only you can
Play out the hand that you've been dealt.
Pour faith in your half empty glass
Bridge
Don't you give up on your hopes and dreams.
There will be a better day!
Learn to live life in the moment
Knowing you can handle what come, what may!
Chorus
Don't you look at
that half empty glass
Don't ever be sorry for your past
Pull yourself up as only you can
Play out the hand that you've been dealt.
Pour faith in your half empty glass [10].
[1]. "American Fruits with African Roots," American Fruits with African Roots, SaveOurselves Productions, 2017, AMERICAN FRUITS WITH AFRICAN ROOTS | lawrencewatson.
[2]. "Lift Every Voice and Sing," Lift Every Voice and Sing, SaveOurselves Productions, 2017, Lift Every Voice | lawrencewatson.
[3]. Lawrence “Larry” Watson, interview by Laurel Schlegel and Catarina Tchakerian and Laurel Schlegel, Boston, MA, March 30, 2023.
[4] "Reparations," Lyrics, musixmatch, accessed April 20, 2023, Lawrence "Larry" Watson - Reparations Lyrics | Musixmatch.
[5]. "American Fruits with African Roots," AMERICAN FRUITS WITH AFRICAN ROOTS | lawrencewatson.
[6]. Watson, interview.
[7]. "Secrets (The Hypocrisy)," Secrets, SaveOurselves Productions, 2017, SECRETS | lawrencewatson.
[8]. jfondon, "Save Ourselves Productions' Lawrence 'Larry' Watson releases tribute reel in honor of Tyre Nichols," Front Page, UnityFirst.com, February 2, 2023, Save Ourselves Productions’ Lawrence “Larry” Watson releases tribute reel in honor of Tyre Nichols - UnityFirst.
[9]. Ibid.
[10]. "Half Empty Glass," Half Empty Glass, SaveOurselves Productions, 2017, HALF EMPTY GLASS | lawrencewatson.
