Colours on the Ground

Mama soaked in tears and on her knees
She holds her baby as caution tapes around
She keeps on screaming, «He was just 19»
The men in blue said, «I told him to stay down»
That doesn’t make it right
Shame on you, shame on you
And if we asked the ones we lost
What they did so wrong, all they’d say is
I had my hands up, my hoody on
Complying, still I’m dying
I just had my hands up, my hoody on
No gun was drawn, still they find a way to make us
Colours on the ground
That’s all they wanna see
To them we’ll always be
Is just another colour on the ground
A child 4 years old in the back seat
Someone tread on daddy’s shirt after 5 pops ring so loud
Too young to understand what it quite means
Why is daddy no longer around?
If she could ask her father what he did
What was so wrong, he’d say, baby
I just had my hands up, my dreads were locked
My skin was black, so they attacked
Baby, I just had my hands up, my hoody on
No gun was drawn, still they find a way to make us
Colours on the ground
That’s all they wanna see
To them we’ll always be
Is just another colour on the ground
Together we’re strong
I’m sick of them painting the streets with them brown and reds
Them brown and reds
But keep marching on
I tell them copperly ones, go turn in the badge, turn in the badge
We’ll always be here
They try, they try
But
But they can’t get rid of us, yeah I stay down for you