We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

They Killed Another One Today

by Matthew James

/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.
    Purchasable with gift card

      name your price

     

about

I started writing this song after reading about yet another police shooting of an unarmed person of color. I wrote it specifically about three people whose lives were snuffed out unjustly: Walter Scott, Sandra Bland, and Laquan McDonald. The terrifying and heartbreaking thing is that I could have written about so many more.

lyrics

They killed another one today, and I heard somebody say,
He must have been a bad, bad man for them to take him down that way.
I don't know what he done, I guess he didn't even have a gun.
They got him when he tried to run,
And they shot him in the back, for the crime of being black.

I see sisters and I see brothers, I see fathers and I see mothers,
I see people of all colors standing grimly in the cold.
Demanding to know why our sons and daughters have to die,
Refusing to accept the lies we’re told.

They hauled a woman off to jail, and she couldn’t make the bail,
Three days later they found her dead. It was suicide they said.
It was a routine traffic stop,
But then she talked back to the cop,
He dragged her from her car
And he threw her to the ground, for the crime of being brown.

I see sisters and I see brothers, I see fathers and I see mothers,
I see people of all colors standing grimly in the cold.
Demanding to know why our sons and daughters have to die,
Refusing to accept the lies we’re told.

They finally showed the video, he was jogging away real slow,
He had a 3 inch knife, and that was why he gave his life.
The first shot spun him ‘round,
The next shot brought him down,
and then fourteen more while he lay on the ground,
They riddled him with lead, just to make sure he was dead.

Every time I think this song is done, I hear about another one,
And I hang my head in shame because I don’t know all their names.
Until their stories all are told, we’ll keep on standing in the cold,
Demanding that the truth be told and standing up for change.

They killed another one today...

credits

released April 6, 2016
Recorded and produced by Benjamin Kelly at SideTown Studios, Minneapolis, MN

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Matthew James image

Matthew James Minneapolis, Minnesota

contact / help

Contact Matthew James

Streaming and
Download help

Report this track or account

If you like Matthew James, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Fabiana Palladino stops by to talk about her mesmeric debut LP.
listen now