Old pirates, yes, they rob I;
Sold I to the merchant ships,
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit.
But my hand was made strong
By the hands of the Almighty.
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly.
Won't you help me sing
These songs of freedom?
It's all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.
Have no fear for atomic energy,
'Cause none of them can stop the time.
How long shall they k** our prophets,
While we stand aside and look?
Some say it's just a part of it:
We've got to fulfill the book.
Won't you help me sing
These songs of freedom?
It's all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.
It's all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.
It's all I ever have:
Redemption songs.