The poem was written by Abel Meeropol, and the performance here is by Billie Holiday. A film telling the story of the song is here.
Strange Fruit
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 poplar trees.Pastoral scene of the gallant South,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of 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 tree to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
Hat-tip to Azra Raza at 3 Quarks Daily, whose item there reminded me that Black History Month is coming to a close for this year.
For more along this line, listen to Neil Young‘s Southern Man from his album After the Gold Rush here.
(This post first appeared at my other (now deleted) blog, and was transferred to this blog on 22 January 2021.)