Tom Paxton - Goodman, Schwerner And Chaney lyrics

The night air is heavy, no cool breezes blow The sounds of the voices are worried and low Desperately wondering and desperate to know About Goodman and Schwerner and Chaney Calm desperation and flickering hope Reality grapples like a hand on the throat For you live in the shadow of ten feet of rope If you're Goodman and Schwerner and Chaney The Pearl River was dragged and two bodies were found But it was a blind alley for both men were brown So they all shrugged their shoulders and the search it went on For Goodman and Schwerner and Chaney Pull out the dead bodies from the ooze of the dam Take the bodies to Jackson all accordin' to plan With the one broken body do the best that you can It's the body of young James Chaney The nation was outraged and shocked through and through Call J. Edgar Hoover; he'll know what to do For they've murdered two white men and a coloured boy too Goodman and Schwerner and Chaney James Chaney your body exploded in pain And the beating they gave you is pounding my brain And they murdered much more with their dark bloody chains And the body of pity lies bleeding The pot-bellied copper shook hands all around And joked with the rednecks who came into town And they swore that the murderer soon would be found And they laughed as they spat their tobacco