A Rumblin' And A Rollin'

You hear a rumblin' and a rollin'?
It's comin' down from the North
It's comin' up through the ground
And it's a funny ol' sound
'Cause it's a rumblin' and a rollin'!

And I bet I know why
See 'em on the train
See 'em on the bus
They never cared much about folks like us!

But now they're gonna pay attention
Sure they gonna ask, "Why? Why? Why?"

They gonna say, "I don't know what
I don't know how!"

Well, they are gonna find out now
They're gonna pay attention.

They gonna yell, "Set that man free!"
Well, they sure ain't talkin' 'bout me.

Now there's a rumblin' and a rollin'
Here come the Yankee Brigade!

They gonna come through this town
We better keep our heads down
We better start mumblin' and shufflin'
We better polish our smiles.

Old Black Joe at your service
Won't do nothin' that'll make you nervous
Won't do nothin' worth a look or a mention
And they won't never pay attention!
They never say, "My! My! My!"
They gonna say, "Bring me my boots!"
"Bring me my tea!"
I betcha thought the slaves were free:

Mister Frank, good for you
Lotta folks comin' to get you through
Mister Frank, ain't that grand?
Lotta folks comin' to take a stand
Mister Frank, knock on wood
It ain't gonna do you no goddamn good!

I can tell you this, as a matter of fact
That the local hotels wouldn't be so packed
If a little black girl had gotten attacked.

Go on, go on, go on, go on:
They're comin', they're comin' now, yessirree!
'Cause a white man gonna get hung, you see
There's a black man swingin' in ev'ry tree
But they don't never pay attention!
Oh, no:
Hell:
They never say, "Why? Why? Why?"
But if a Yankee boy flies:
Surprise!
Surprise!
Surprise!

They gonna pay attention!
They gonna yell "Set that man free!"

(singing a snatch of "Camptown Races" as he goes back to his nap)
Dee dee dee dee dee dee dee
Oh, there'll be a rumblin' and a rollin', yeah
There'll be a rumblin' and a rollin', yeah.