Colours on the Ground - Trevor Jackson

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