Strange Fruit - the story behind "The Song of the Century"

Summary

The video delves into the heartbreaking origins and impact of the protest song 'Strange Fruit,' highlighting its haunting narrative of racial violence in America. It starts with a harrowing description of a lynching in the 1930s in Indiana, a scene that eventually inspired Abel Meeropol to pen this chilling poem. Adopted and immortalized by Billie Holiday, the song became a haunting anthem against systemic racial injustice. The transcript evokes the powerful imagery of the song and its lasting influence as a call for justice and change, drawing an unbroken line from the past to present struggles against racism. Through the story of 'Strange Fruit,' the video underscores the transformative power of art and music in societal reflection and the ongoing fight for equality.

Highlights

• A violent lynching in Indiana in the 1930s acted as a catalyst for the song 'Strange Fruit'. 🌑
• James Cameron's personal account of the incident gives a chilling firsthand perspective. 👁️
• Abel Meeropol, the poet behind 'Strange Fruit', used his work to protest racial injustice. ✍️
• Billie Holiday's rendition of the song became a poignant symbol of the civil rights struggle. 🎶
• The enduring relevance of 'Strange Fruit' continues to highlight the fight against racism. ✊

Key Takeaways

• 'Strange Fruit' emerged from a heartbreaking historical event, shedding light on racial atrocities in America. 🌳
• The powerful imagery in the song draws direct parallels to the brutal experience of lynching. 🕊️
• Billie Holiday's emotional rendition of 'Strange Fruit' transformed the song into a timeless protest anthem. 🎤
• The song's narrative continues to resonate, reflecting ongoing racial challenges and injustices. ⚖️
• Music and art can profoundly influence societal change and inspire action. 🎨

Overview

The video starts with a vivid recollection of a tragic event on a hot night in 1930, Indiana, setting the grim stage for what would become a historical protest song. This setup serves to illustrate the heinous acts of racial violence that sparked the need for change and how it set the scene for Abel Meeropol's protest poem 'Strange Fruit'.

The song famously performed by Billie Holiday, 'Strange Fruit', emerges as a haunting rendition filled with heavy imagery and emotion. It was at Cafe Society, New York’s first racially integrated nightclub, where Holiday’s powerful performances left a lasting impact, employing darkness and silence to amplify the song’s message.

This tale of 'Strange Fruit' underscores the timeless power of music and poetry as vehicles for social change. Even decades later, the song remains relevant, serving as a reminder of the persistent racial injustices and the power of art to reflect societal struggles and inspire action for justice.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 03:00: Lynching Incident in Marion, Indiana The chapter describes an incident in Marion, Indiana, on the night of August 7th, 1930. It highlights the extreme heat of the night and sets a scene that could have taken place anywhere in the USA, but this time, it was centered in the Heartland. The events leading up to the night involve the shooting of a white man and an alleged assault and rape of his girlfriend, which incited a mob to gather.
• 03:00 - 06:00: The Story of Adam and Eve and the Strange Fruit The chapter entitled "The Story of Adam and Eve and the Strange Fruit" begins with a tragic event where a white man who had been shot succumbs to his injuries in the hospital. This incident is followed by a provocative act as the police display his bloodied shirt on a flagpole at the police headquarters, causing a stir across the city. The narrative then introduces James Cameron, a 16-year-old who narrowly avoided being lynched that night. Cameron reflects on the dangerous implications of the police's action, comparing the act of waving the blood-stained shirt to provoking a bull with a red flag. The chapter closes with a mention of Benjamin Franklin's description of a lynch mob as a beast with many hands but no intelligence or conscience.
• 06:00 - 09:00: The Lynching of Thomas Ship and Abe Smith The chapter titled 'The Lynching of Thomas Ship and Abe Smith' explores a historical context juxtaposed with a biblical narrative. It sets the scene in the heartland of America, likening it to the Garden of Eden. The chapter describes God's creation in Eden, highlighting the trees that are pleasant to sight and good for food, and the presence of the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the garden. This sets an allegorical tone that may mirror the events surrounding the lynching of Thomas Ship and Abe Smith, drawing parallels between biblical themes and historical incidents.
• 09:00 - 12:00: Impact of the Lynching Photograph and Poem by Abel Meripo The chapter explores the symbolic significance of the biblical story of Adam and Eve in relation to human curiosity and the inevitable temptation to seek forbidden knowledge. It draws parallels between the biblical narrative and the real-world issues of pain, racism, indifference, and violence, suggesting that human nature tends towards seeking out these harsh truths despite warnings. The 'Strange Fruit' metaphor is used to illustrate the bitter reality of these social issues, perhaps alluding to Billie Holiday's iconic song about American racism and lynching.
• 12:00 - 15:00: Billie Holiday's Powerful Performances of "Strange Fruit" The chapter titled "Billie Holiday's Powerful Performances of 'Strange Fruit'" explores the impact and emotional power of Billie Holiday's performances of the song 'Strange Fruit.' The chapter describes how the audiences were confronted with the harsh truths of racial lynchings in America, as depicted in the song. This acknowledgment of a painful reality empowered them, allowing them to confront their own pain and share it with others. The metaphor of 'fruit bears fruit' is used to illustrate how this newfound awareness and empowerment led to a transformation, where people became strong enough to make a change in their own environments, symbolically making their own 'Southern trees bear Strange Fruit.' The imagery of 'Blood on the leaves and blood at the root' and 'black bodies swinging in the southern breeze' vividly evokes the brutal reality of lynchings, which hangs like strange fruit from the trees in the South.
• 15:00 - 18:00: Legacy and Reflection on "Strange Fruit" The chapter reflects on the song "Strange Fruit," a poignant protest against the lynching of African Americans in the Southern United States. The lyrics depict a haunting and graphic image of racial violence, symbolized by the 'strange fruit' hanging from trees. It describes a gruesome scene where bodies are left to the mercy of nature and the elements. This reflection is intertwined with a narrative about three young men, including Thomas Ship and Abraham Smith, who were taken into police custody, suggesting their connection to the historical context of racial terror and injustice.
• 18:00 - 20:00: Musical Performance of "Strange Fruit" The chapter discusses the intense and horrifying events surrounding a musical performance of 'Strange Fruit'. It highlights a historical event where a large mob gathered outside a jail, consisting of 4,000 people or more who were armed with sledgehammers and crowbars. The mob was intent on enforcing racial supremacy, and the passage suggests a grim and violent scenario where the mob attempts to breach the jail doors. It alludes to a 'carnival of white Supremacy', reflecting a dark period of racial tension and violence.

Strange Fruit - the story behind "The Song of the Century" Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 it was a night of August 7th 1930 it was a very very hot night it could have been anywhere USA but this time it was in Marian Indiana this time in the Heartland this time the day before a white man had been shot and his girlfriend they said had been assaulted and raped mob gathered
• 00:30 - 01:00 the white man who had been shot died in the hospital that night and the police took off his bloody shirt they took it and and ran it up the flag pole in front of the police headquarters for the whole city to see James Cameron 16 years old he was there that night and barely escaped being lynched himself he said that Bloody shirt was like waving a red flag in front of a bull Benjamin Franklin said that a Lynch Mob is a beast with many hands hands and no
• 01:00 - 01:30 brains anywhere USA but this time in the heart land and God planted a garden in Eden in the East and there God put the human being whom God had made and out of the ground God made every tree grow every tree that is Pleasant to the sight and good for food and the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and
• 01:30 - 02:00 God commanded the human being you may freely eat of every tree in the garden but you must not eat from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil for on the day that you eat of it you shall die as soon as Adam and Eve saw that that was the red button the worst thing you could say is don't touch it they wanted to know and so they reach for the fruit they wanted to know to eat and discover the truth of pain racism indifference and violence apples don't do that this was Strange Fruit they saw
• 02:00 - 02:30 themselves Strange Fruit and the truth hit them they did not want this but it made them powerful powerful enough to see their own pain powerful enough to Dish it to others fruit bears fruit they became powerful enough to make their own Southern trees bear Strange Fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root black body swinging in the southern breeze Strange Fruit hanging from the popper trees
• 02:30 - 03:00 scene of the Gallant South the buling eyes and the Twisted mouth cam Magnolia sweet and fresh then the sudden smell of burning flesh here is fruit for the crows to pluck for the rain to gather for the wind to suck for the sun to rot for the trees to drop here is strange and bitter crop the police took three young men into custody late that night Thomas ship 19 Abraham Smith 18 his friends called a
• 03:00 - 03:30 and James Cameron 16 years old and the crowd started to grow outside that jail people from all over the county came a mob of 4,000 people or more someone in the mob went to the hardware store for rope they were armed with sledgehammers and crowbars they started banging on the jail doors the sheriff wouldn't open them they kept banging and beating and finally the mob prevailed they were ready for the performance the carnival of white Supremacy to make sure that blacks
• 03:30 - 04:00 stayed in their place the tree had given birth to Strange Fruit Thomas ship and Abe Smith in the lynching tree of Calvary it was Jesus on the lynching tree Strange Fruit they broke into the jail and took Thomas ship out of his sell first they beat him they spit on him they mocked him they killed him before they even got out of the jail and then they slung a rope over a
• 04:00 - 04:30 tree and lynched him even though he was already dead pilate said to them here is the man when the crowd saw him they shouted crucify him crucify him pilate said to them take him yourselves and crucify him I find no case against this man then they went back in for a dragging him a block and a half to the courthouse Square AB was still alive all the way to the court house where there
• 04:30 - 05:00 was a maple tree and another noose that was tied around his neck people who were there that day said that as they were lifting him up he reached for the Rope he tried to hold it away from his neck so they lowered him down and broke his arms they lowered him down and broke his arms and lifted him up again and carrying the cross by himself he went out to what is called the place of the skull which in Hebrew is called
• 05:00 - 05:30 gotha There They Crucified him with him and two others one on either side and Jesus between them the town photographer set up his equipment and took a picture of the scene it looked like a carnival with people going to the county fair after the picture was taken the mob took strips of Thomas and Abes clothes as souvenirs they divided his clothes among themselves casting lots to decide what each should take one person took a shoe
• 05:30 - 06:00 home to display on their Manel and the most prized souvenir was a piece of the Rope 2 a.m. the coroner came to take the bodies down but the crowd refused they turned him away the bodies must hang as a warning they must hang as a warning for blacks to stay in their place and as much as I want to say that we made it and look at King and Obama at Oprah and made Jim out of space with the people who hundred years ago would have
• 06:00 - 06:30 made it were slave is it really true that we made it or really true that we not hanging just well what's really true empty trees are empty promises from politicians over schools the lynching the gallon South pastoral scenes bulging eyes Twisted mouth see it but they can't mention the sin of Magnolia in New Orleans that's the projects where Cash Money Records came and if one make it while every other broke in prison of naked tell me why we celebrating Lil Wayne the fame and the popular ignore hanging from the popular Jim Crow threw
• 06:30 - 07:00 the Rope away now popping your pill popping your gun popping your opportunity stopping you tell Trayvon parents that we made it cuz they just lynched him the smell of the burning flesh the news tell of a burning mess new hell shutting down clinics but they building up new jails diamonds in his ear gold rope but it's still lynching so who writes the new songs to come help write the new wrongs I see my little brother I tell him to fights on keep your lights on keep your clothes on cuz
• 07:00 - 07:30 the more you sell they will prevail the more money we make the less we can tell the less we speak the more hate overwhelms and so we must yell who writes the new songs to come help write the new wrongs thousands of copies of this Photograph were sold all over the country and then a handful of years later Abel maripo a white Jewish High School teacher from the Bronx came AC cross the
• 07:30 - 08:00 photograph after seeing such a horrible thing he could not remain silent he wrote a protest poem entitled Strange Fruit and then set it to music it was a protest song against the terrorism known as lynching the poet took the terror and turned it turned it against itself what was meant for fear he used to stir a faith in a different kind of future the poet flipped the script the poet
• 08:00 - 08:30 took art and degradation and reversed it remaking it into the art of dignity and indignation the art of protest the prophet's art of justice and hope was used by the poet soon after at Cafe Society New York's first integrated nightclub a young singer named Billy Holiday began performing Strange Fruit to close out all of her shows because of the power of the song the nightclub
• 08:30 - 09:00 owner Drew up some rules first the room would be in darkness except for a spotlight on holiday's face second the waiters would stop all service while she sang the song and third under no circumstances would there be an encore night after night she could not and would not remain silent night after night she flipped the script she took the art of degradation and reversed it
• 09:00 - 09:30 into the art of indignation the art of dignity of protest the prophet song of justice and hope night after night after night after night until the whole world was listening and when Adam and Eve touched that tree God saw Strange Fruit God saw Abe and ship and all those who were hung up in trees to die God saw Jesus God saw it all but God had a plan for Redemption a plan to flip the script to save us from ourselves to use Strange
• 09:30 - 10:00 Fruit to redeem a strange world then the angel showed me the river of the Water of Life bright as Crystal bright as Crystal and on either side of the river was a tree of life bearing 12 crops of the most beautiful fruit and the leaves on that tree are for the healing of the Nations strange fruit in the garden Strange Fruit on the cross strange and healing fruit flowing from
• 10:00 - 10:30 the Tree of Life whose leaves are good for the healing of the Nations this year is the 75th anniversary of Billy Holiday Strange Fruit she recorded it on April 20th 1939 a terrible night in August 1930 and the Beautiful Night in April 1939 75 years ago each and every one of us is made in the image of that poet in the image of that singer in the image of the one who flips the script flips the script again and again Terror into
• 10:30 - 11:00 poetry hatred into protest heartbreak into hope sorrow into Joy each and every one of us is made to love and struggle and sing We are made to sing writing new songs to help write the new wrongs this time in Indiana this time in the Heartland this time everywhere and anywhere anywhere USA [Music]
• 11:00 - 11:30 [Applause] 3 [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]
• 11:30 - 12:00 [Music] Southern [Music] trees bear a Strange Fruit [Music]
• 12:00 - 12:30 Blood on the [Music] lead and blood at the [Music] root black body swinging in the s
• 12:30 - 13:00 [Music] bre Strange Fruit hanging from the pop tree [Music]
• 13:00 - 13:30 pastoral scen of the gall South with big buling eyes and the Twisted mouth scent of magn
• 13:30 - 14:00 sweet and fresh then the sudden smell all burning fles
• 14:00 - 14:30 here is the fruit for the crow to pluck for the rains to gather for the wind to suck for the
• 14:30 - 15:00 sun to rot for the [Music] tree to drop he [Music]
• 15:00 - 15:30 is a [Music] strange and bit C oh
• 15:30 - 16:00 [Music]