Strange Fruit (Live at Philharmonic Hall, Los Angeles, 1945)

[Intro]
And now I'd like to sing a tune, it was written especially for me
It's titled "Strange Fruit," I do hope you like it

[Verse 1]
Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees

[Verse 2]
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh

[Verse 3]
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gathеr, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the tree to drop
Hеre is a strange and bitter crop