Off the soundtrack to the movie Selma, John Legend & Common’s “Glory” won “Best Original Song” at the 2015 Golden Globe Awards and the 87th Academy Awards.
Inspired by the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches and the Civil Rights Movement in general, Common explained how the song also relates to t...
[Produced by John Legend]
[Chorus: John Legend]
One day when the glory comes
It will be ours, it will be ours
One day when the war is won
We will be sure, we will be sure
Oh glory
(Glory, glory) Ohh (Glory, glory)
[Verse 1: Common]
Hands to the Heavens, no man, no weapon
Formed against, yes glory is destined
Everyday women and men become legends
Sins that go against our skin become blessings
The movement is a rhythm to us
Freedom is like religion to us
Justice is juxtapositionin' us
Justice for all just ain't specific enough
One son died, his spirit is revisitin' us
True and livin' livin' in us, resistance is us
That's why Rosa sat on the bus
That's why we walk through Ferguson with our hands up
When it go down we woman and man up
They say, "Stay down", and we stand up
Shots, we on the ground, the camera panned up
King pointed to the mountain top and we ran up
[Chorus]
One day when the glory comes
It will be ours, it will be ours
One day when the war is won
We will be sure, we will be sure
Oh glory (glory, glory)
Ohh (glory, glory)
[Bridge: John Legend]
Now the war is not over, victory isn't won
But we'll fight on to the finish, and when it's all done
We'll cry glory (glory), oh glory (glory), oh (glory, glory)
We'll cry glory, oh glory, oh (glory, glory)
[Verse 2: Common]
Selma is now for every man, woman, and child
Even Jesus got his crown in front of a crowd
They marched with the torch, we gon' run with it now
Never look back, we done gone hundreds of miles
From dark roads he rose, to become a hero
Facin' the league of justice, his power was the people
Enemy is lethal, a king became regal
Saw the face of Jim Crow under a bald eagle
The biggest weapon is to stay peaceful
We sing, our music is the cuts that we bleed through
Somewhere in the dream we had an epiphany
Now we right the wrongs in history
No one can win the war individually
It takes the wisdom of the elders and young people's energy
Welcome to the story we call victory
The comin' of the Lord, my eyes have seen the glory
[Chorus]
One day when the glory comes
It will be ours, it will be ours
One day when the war is won
We will be sure, we will be sure
Oh glory
(Glory, glory)
Oh (glory, glory)
Oh glory
(Glory, glory)
Yeah (glory, glory)
[Outro: John Legend]
When the war is won, when it's all said and done
We'll cry glory, oh glory (glory, glory)
Glory was written by Rhymefest & Common & John Legend.
Glory was produced by John Legend.
Common & John Legend released Glory on Thu Dec 11 2014.
Common called me up and said he needed a song for an independent movie, and it had to be a rap song. And I said, “OK. Let’s say a prayer to the ancestors and have them write the song.” He said, “What do you mean?” And I said, “Let’s pray, specifically, to Martin Luther King, Mike Brown, Medgar Evers...