When finally they made this day a holiday
I said Dad, why would anyone object?
He said, Well, people are always slow to change.
The shame of it all
is that when they make this holiday
someone, maybe everyone
will think I Have a Dream of a Sale for You
Well, my father was right
I saw it in the special section of today’s paper
The Dream Remembered: 50% Off All Men’s Ties
Thanks For The Dream Dr. King; $5.00 Off Your Next Purchase
Sharing The Dream; First Savings, The Best Money Market Rates In Town
Keeping His Dream Alive; Flipside Hats And Caps
James Funeral Home Says: We Must Continue To Keep The Dream Alive!
We Shall Overcome Our Competion’s Prices
Stop
Tell me today what he said
Tell me today what he did
Tell me today you haven’t forgotten why there was a dream
And, if you’re not old enough to remember
Let me tell you a little how it was
It was 1965
It was our first big family vacation
It was an antsy itchy kids in the car adventure
It was in our brand new light blue station wagon
packed with the five of us
heading down the turnpike
heading down south
It was making a pit stop in Maryland
and coming back to the car crying
when I met Jim Crow
four bathrooms
two fountains
It was Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama,
Tennessee, Louisiana,
and the place my Father’s father
was born and raised
Natchez, Mississippi
It was relatives talking about
if those people, I’ll take my shotgun. . .
It was watching Dr. King on television
It was marches coming to town
before we got there
or right after we left
It was coming home and seeing change
burning itself through Newark
It was the dream deferred
It was the dream that I don’t see in today’s paper
If you remember how it was
You must tell it
If you don’t, it’s going to come right back
run you over
slap you in the face
burn you in an oven
lynch you from that sweet hickory
You must tell it
How it was more than words
How everyday it was
How unnoticed it was
How obscene it was right there in daylight
How evil it was hanging on and invading the night
If you were there, you must tell it
If you heard about it, you must repeat the truth of it
You must say
It was a from sea to shining sea dream
It was the dream from Atlanta
This ad in the newspaper is not the dream I remember
It was Martin’s dream
the maybe someday it’ll be our healthy tree dream
the salvation and celebration , not sales dream
the humble hopes and great aspirations dream
Get on that bus
Get on the train
Send a message down all the rivers
Send a message in your time
Tell the story
Tell them this love Martin preached
Tell them this love is the strongest boat
This love will always hold it’s head higher than hate