Freedom

[Verse: Charles Mingus]
This mule ain't from Moscow
This mule ain't from the South
But this mule's had some learnin'
Mostly mouth-to-mouth
This mule could be called stubborn and lazy
But in a clever sorta way, this mule could be workin’
Waitin' and learnin' and plannin'
For a sacred kind of day
A day when burnin' sticks and crosses is not mere child's play
But a madman in his most incandescent bloom
Whose lover's soul is imperfection and is most lustrous groom
So stand fast, young old mule
Soothe in contemplation
That burning whole and aching thigh
Your stubbornness is ever-living
And cool anxiety is about to die

[Chorus: Charles Mingus & Ensemble]
Freedom for your daddy
Freedom for your mama
Freedom for your brothers and sisters
But no freedom for me
Freedom for your daddy's daddy
Freedom for your mama's mama
Freedom for your brothers and sisters
But no freedom for me

[Instrumental Break]

[Chorus: Charles Mingus & Ensemble]
Freedom for your daddy's daddy
Freedom for your mama's mama
Freedom for your brothers and sisters
But no freedom for me