Chords for Henry Rollins on Racism
Tempo:
116 bpm
Chords used:
Ab
F
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
That's what I think so so there's that
Here's something else and this is an odd thing to say I feel vulnerable and I feel stupid saying it
But it's true, so I'm compelled to do so
Many years ago like in 1850.
I was young and I lived I lived in Washington DC
That's where I come from the east coast of America where the White House is where Watergate is and all of that
It's good town scary place at times
and so I was born in 1961 and I came up through the 60s and I was going to a
Public school in DC and I was one of only a few white kids
And there's a lot of black kids in school a few white kids
And so there's some racial tension there
And I remember one [Ab] kid came up to me one day hit me in the face [F] and took my lunch and when you're a little
I don't know how many of [N] you been hit in the face
It's not good like really hit in the face like really pasted it fucks you up for life
He kind of ruins your sense of this is my personal space because someone leans into
Just takes it from you and when you're this high and it happens a kid really cracks you right in the mush
I pissed my pants my knees knocked together.
I mean, I'm not gonna tell you some fake story and said like
I was terrified and the guy just came up out of nowhere BAM and he took my lunch on my little brown bag
And he said because you killed my king I'm like I killed your king and I went back after school I told my mom
She said Henry he's talking about Martin Luther King and you didn't kill Martin Luther King
So I basically asked her what do I do?
when the kid comes up punches me in the mouth takes my lunch and says I killed Martin Luther King because I was not
aware of killing anybody at that age and
She told me some of the best lies that she ever told me in her life
And she said well, well the the truth part was she said well Henry, you know
Things are very difficult right now and we're in a tough time in America.
There's a lot of people who are very angry
That kid he's just getting bad information.
He knows that you didn't kill Martin Luther King
Someone told him that and so he's wrong, but he doesn't really hate you
He's just kind of getting the wrong information.
I go.
What do I do?
And she said the next time someone is mean to you you to stick out your hand and say hi
My name is Henry like a what if I cry because that's a thing with little kids
You're afraid of the humiliation more than the actual pain
And so I said what if I cry and she said honey if you smile
No one will be able to tell you're crying and I knew it was bullshit
But I wanted to believe it so bad because I had to go to this school five days a week
And I was so terrified of going to this school.
I'd be up at like 5 in the morning with my stomach like
Cuz I did not know what was was going to happen to me every single day
and so I went in there the kids like, you know, like like in my face like
The white boys cry
And that was the thing that
Politicized me.
Okay, and I said well racism obviously sucks because I don't want to give this back
It never it never occurred to me to go like you black people suck because you killed
Huh?
I had nothing there.
It didn't work for me.
And so I never
Here's something else and this is an odd thing to say I feel vulnerable and I feel stupid saying it
But it's true, so I'm compelled to do so
Many years ago like in 1850.
I was young and I lived I lived in Washington DC
That's where I come from the east coast of America where the White House is where Watergate is and all of that
It's good town scary place at times
and so I was born in 1961 and I came up through the 60s and I was going to a
Public school in DC and I was one of only a few white kids
And there's a lot of black kids in school a few white kids
And so there's some racial tension there
And I remember one [Ab] kid came up to me one day hit me in the face [F] and took my lunch and when you're a little
I don't know how many of [N] you been hit in the face
It's not good like really hit in the face like really pasted it fucks you up for life
He kind of ruins your sense of this is my personal space because someone leans into
Just takes it from you and when you're this high and it happens a kid really cracks you right in the mush
I pissed my pants my knees knocked together.
I mean, I'm not gonna tell you some fake story and said like
I was terrified and the guy just came up out of nowhere BAM and he took my lunch on my little brown bag
And he said because you killed my king I'm like I killed your king and I went back after school I told my mom
She said Henry he's talking about Martin Luther King and you didn't kill Martin Luther King
So I basically asked her what do I do?
when the kid comes up punches me in the mouth takes my lunch and says I killed Martin Luther King because I was not
aware of killing anybody at that age and
She told me some of the best lies that she ever told me in her life
And she said well, well the the truth part was she said well Henry, you know
Things are very difficult right now and we're in a tough time in America.
There's a lot of people who are very angry
That kid he's just getting bad information.
He knows that you didn't kill Martin Luther King
Someone told him that and so he's wrong, but he doesn't really hate you
He's just kind of getting the wrong information.
I go.
What do I do?
And she said the next time someone is mean to you you to stick out your hand and say hi
My name is Henry like a what if I cry because that's a thing with little kids
You're afraid of the humiliation more than the actual pain
And so I said what if I cry and she said honey if you smile
No one will be able to tell you're crying and I knew it was bullshit
But I wanted to believe it so bad because I had to go to this school five days a week
And I was so terrified of going to this school.
I'd be up at like 5 in the morning with my stomach like
Cuz I did not know what was was going to happen to me every single day
and so I went in there the kids like, you know, like like in my face like
The white boys cry
And that was the thing that
Politicized me.
Okay, and I said well racism obviously sucks because I don't want to give this back
It never it never occurred to me to go like you black people suck because you killed
Huh?
I had nothing there.
It didn't work for me.
And so I never
Key:
Ab
F
Ab
F
Ab
F
Ab
F
That's what I think so so there's that
Here's something else and this is an odd thing to say I feel vulnerable and I feel stupid saying it
But it's true, so I'm compelled to do so
Many years ago like in 1850.
I was young and I lived I lived in Washington DC
That's where I come from the east coast of America where the White House is where Watergate is and all of that
It's good town scary place at times
and so I was born in 1961 and I came up through the 60s and I was going to a
Public school in DC and I was one of only a few white kids
And there's a lot of black kids in school a few white kids
And so there's some racial tension there
And I remember one [Ab] kid came up to me one day hit me in the face [F] and took my lunch and when you're a little
I don't know how many of [N] you been hit in the face
It's not good like really hit in the face like really pasted it fucks you up for life
He kind of ruins your sense of this is my personal space because someone leans into
Just takes it from you and when you're this high and it happens a kid really cracks you right in the mush
I pissed my pants my knees knocked together.
I mean, I'm not gonna tell you some fake story and said like
I _ _ was terrified and the guy just came up out of nowhere BAM and he took my lunch on my little brown bag
And _ _ _ _ _ he said because you killed my king I'm like I killed your king and I went back after school I told my mom _ _
She said Henry he's talking about Martin Luther King and you didn't kill Martin Luther King
So I basically asked her what do I do?
when the kid comes up punches me in the mouth takes my lunch and says I killed Martin Luther King because I was not
aware of killing anybody at that age and
She told me some of the best lies that she ever told me in her life
And she said well, well the the truth part was she said well Henry, you know
Things are very difficult right now and we're in a tough time in America.
There's a lot of people who are very angry
That kid he's just getting bad information.
He knows that you didn't kill Martin Luther King
Someone told him that and so he's wrong, but he doesn't really hate you
He's just kind of getting the wrong information.
I go.
What do I do?
And she said the next time someone is mean to you you to stick out your hand and say hi
My name is Henry like a what if I cry because that's a thing with little kids
You're afraid of the humiliation more than the actual pain
And so I said what if I cry and she said honey if you smile
No one will be able to tell you're crying and I knew it was bullshit
_ But I wanted to believe it so bad because I had to go to this school five days a week
And I was so terrified of going to this school.
I'd be up at like 5 in the morning with my stomach like
_ Cuz I did not know what was was going to happen to me every single day
and so I went in there the kids like, you know, like like in my face like _ _ _ _ _ _
_ The white boys cry
And _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
that was the thing that
Politicized me.
Okay, and I said well racism obviously sucks because I don't want to give this back
It never it never occurred to me to go like you black people suck because you killed _ _
Huh?
I had nothing there.
It didn't work for me.
And so I never
Here's something else and this is an odd thing to say I feel vulnerable and I feel stupid saying it
But it's true, so I'm compelled to do so
Many years ago like in 1850.
I was young and I lived I lived in Washington DC
That's where I come from the east coast of America where the White House is where Watergate is and all of that
It's good town scary place at times
and so I was born in 1961 and I came up through the 60s and I was going to a
Public school in DC and I was one of only a few white kids
And there's a lot of black kids in school a few white kids
And so there's some racial tension there
And I remember one [Ab] kid came up to me one day hit me in the face [F] and took my lunch and when you're a little
I don't know how many of [N] you been hit in the face
It's not good like really hit in the face like really pasted it fucks you up for life
He kind of ruins your sense of this is my personal space because someone leans into
Just takes it from you and when you're this high and it happens a kid really cracks you right in the mush
I pissed my pants my knees knocked together.
I mean, I'm not gonna tell you some fake story and said like
I _ _ was terrified and the guy just came up out of nowhere BAM and he took my lunch on my little brown bag
And _ _ _ _ _ he said because you killed my king I'm like I killed your king and I went back after school I told my mom _ _
She said Henry he's talking about Martin Luther King and you didn't kill Martin Luther King
So I basically asked her what do I do?
when the kid comes up punches me in the mouth takes my lunch and says I killed Martin Luther King because I was not
aware of killing anybody at that age and
She told me some of the best lies that she ever told me in her life
And she said well, well the the truth part was she said well Henry, you know
Things are very difficult right now and we're in a tough time in America.
There's a lot of people who are very angry
That kid he's just getting bad information.
He knows that you didn't kill Martin Luther King
Someone told him that and so he's wrong, but he doesn't really hate you
He's just kind of getting the wrong information.
I go.
What do I do?
And she said the next time someone is mean to you you to stick out your hand and say hi
My name is Henry like a what if I cry because that's a thing with little kids
You're afraid of the humiliation more than the actual pain
And so I said what if I cry and she said honey if you smile
No one will be able to tell you're crying and I knew it was bullshit
_ But I wanted to believe it so bad because I had to go to this school five days a week
And I was so terrified of going to this school.
I'd be up at like 5 in the morning with my stomach like
_ Cuz I did not know what was was going to happen to me every single day
and so I went in there the kids like, you know, like like in my face like _ _ _ _ _ _
_ The white boys cry
And _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
that was the thing that
Politicized me.
Okay, and I said well racism obviously sucks because I don't want to give this back
It never it never occurred to me to go like you black people suck because you killed _ _
Huh?
I had nothing there.
It didn't work for me.
And so I never