In the Mississippi River
Well you count them one by one
It could be your son
You can count them two by two
It could be me or you
You can count them three by three
Now don’t you want to see
You can count them four by four
Well in to the river they go
You can count them five by five
They don’t come out alive
You can count them six by six
In Mississippi they got it fixed
You can count them seven by seven
Mississippi, it ain’t no heaven
You can count them eight by eight
They were thrown in because of hate
You can count them nine by nine
In Mississippi, this ain’t no crime
You can count them ten by ten
And you will wonder when the right will win?
Marshall Jones
“In the Mississippi River” on Mavis Staples’ We’ll Never Turn Back
