67년부터 69년 사이에 니나 시몬이 남긴 레코딩 중 희귀음원, 라이브, 미발표 곡을 발췌한 새로운 앨범으로, 특히 시기적으로 맞닿아 있는 당시의 미국 흑인 민권 운동과 연관이 있는 곡들에 초점이 맞춰져 있어 각별한 의미를 부여받고 있다. 무엇보다 주목할 점은 그동안 편집된 형태로만 감상할 수 있었던 곡들의 풀 버전을 편집없이 수록하고 있다는 점인데 바로 ‘WHY THE KING OF LOVE IS DEAD’와 ‘MISSISSIPPI GODDAM’으로 구성된 ‘MARTIN LUTHER KING SUITE’는 이렇게 편집되지 않고 풀 버전이 공개되는 것이 이번이 처음인 셈이다. 이외에도 오리지널 버전과 9분짜리 라이브 버전이 각각 앨범의 시작과 끝을 장식하는 69년의 싱글곡 ‘TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK’등 암울했던 21세기의 초반, 미국 흑인들에게 희망의 노래로 존재했던 니나 시몬의 가치를 다시 한번 확인할 수 있는 매우 뜻 깊은 앨범이라 할 수 있다. .... ....
Young, gifted and black, Oh what a lovely precious dream To be young, gifted and black, Open your heart to what I mean In the whole world you know There's a million boys and girls Who are young, gifted and black And that's a fact!
You are young, gifted and black We must begin to tell our young There's a world waiting for you This is a quest that's just begun When you feel really low there's a great truth that you should know When you're young, gifted and black Your soul's intact
How long to be young, gifted and black How I long to know the truth There are times when I look back And I am haunted by my youth Oh but my joy of today Is that we can all be proud to say To be young, gifted and black Is where it's at!
Langston Hughes, Nina SimoneMr. Backlash, Mr. Backlash Just who do think I am You raise my taxes, freeze my wages And send my son to VietnamYou give me second class houses And second class schools Do you think that alla colored folks Are just second class fools Mr. Backlash, I'm gonna leave you With the backlash bluesWhen I try to find a job To earn a little cash All you got to offer Is your mean old white backlash But the world is big Big and bright and round And it's full of folks like me Who are black, yellow, beige and brown Mr. Backlash, I'm gonna leave you With the backlash bluesMr. Backlash, Mr. Backlash Just what do you think I got to lose I'm gonna leave you With the backlash blues You're the one will have the blues Not me, just wait and see
What? gonna happen now? In all of our cities? My people are rising; they?e living in lies. Even if they have to die Even if they have to die at the moment they know what life is Even at that one moment that ya know what life is If you have to die, it? all right Cause you know what life is You know what freedom is for one moment of your lifeBut he had seen the mountaintop And he knew he could not stop Always living with the threat of death ahead Folks you? better stop and think Everybody knows we?e on the brink What will happen, now that the King is dead?We can all shed tears; it won? change a thing Teach your people: Will they ever learn? Must you always kill with burn and burn with guns And kill with guns and burn - don? you know how we gotta react?But he had seen the mountaintop And he knew he could not stop Always living with the threat of death ahead Folks you? better stop and think Everybody knows we?e on the brink What will happen, now that the King of love is dead?
The name of this tune is Mississippi Goddam And I mean every word of itAlabama's gotten me so upset Tennessee made me lose my rest And everybody knows about Mississippi GoddamAlabama's gotten me so upset Tennessee made me lose my rest And everybody knows about Mississippi GoddamCan't you see it Can't you feel it It's all in the air I can't stand the pressure much longer Somebody say a prayerAlabama's gotten me so upset Tennessee made me lose my rest And everybody knows about Mississippi GoddamThis is a show tune But the show hasn't been written for it, yetHound dogs on my trail School children sitting in jail Black cat cross my path I think every day's gonna be my lastLord have mercy on this land of mine We all gonna get it in due time I don't belong here I don't belong there I've even stopped believing in prayerDon't tell me I tell you Me and my people just about due I've been there so I know They keep on saying "Go slow!"But that's just the trouble "do it slow" Washing the windows "do it slow" Picking the cotton "do it slow" You're just plain rotten "do it slow" You're too damn lazy "do it slow" The thinking's crazy "do it slow" Where am I going What am I doing I don't know I don't knowJust try to do your very best Stand up be counted with all the rest For everybody knows about Mississippi GoddamI made you thought I was kiddin' didn't wePicket lines School boycotts They try to say it's a communist plot All I want is equality for my sister my brother my people and meYes you lied to me all these years You told me to wash and clean my ears And talk real fine just like a lady And you'd stop calling me Sister SadieOh but this whole country is full of lies You're all gonna die and die like flies I don't trust you any more You keep on saying "Go slow!" "Go slow!"But that's just the trouble "do it slow" Desegregation "do it slow" Mass participation "do it slow" Reunification "do it slow" Do things gradually "do it slow" But bring more tragedy "do it slow" Why don't you see it Why don't you feel it I don't know I don't knowYou don't have to live next to me Just give me my equality Everybody knows about Mississippi Everybody knows about Alabama Everybody knows about Mississippi GoddamThat's it!
And now we got a revolution Cause i see the face of things to come Yeah, your Constitution Well, my friend, its gonna have to bend Im here to tell you about destruction Of all the evil that will have to end.Some folks are gonna get the notion I know theyll say im preachin hate but if i have to swim the ocean well i would just to communicate its not as simple as talkin jive the daily struggle just to stay aliveSingin about a revolution because were talkin about a change its more than just evolution well you know you got to clean your brain the only way that we can stand in fact is when you get your foot off our back
To everything, turn, turn, turn (turn, turn, turn, turn) There is a season, (turn, turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose under heaven
To everything (turn, turn, turn, turn) There is a season, (turn, turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to weep, time to laugh; A time to mourn, time to dance; A time to get, time to lose; A time to embrace And a time to refrain from embracing
To everything (turn, turn, turn, turn) There is a season, (turn, turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to sew, time to rend, A time for silence, time to speak; A time to kill, a time to heal A time to cast away stones A time to gather stones together
Oh to everything (turn, turn, turn, turn) There is a season, (turn, turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to be born and a time to die A time to break down, time to build up A time to love, a time to hate A time for war, time for peace, I swear it's not too late
To everything (turn, turn, turn, turn) There is a season, (turn, turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose under heaven
To everything (turn, turn, turn, turn) There is a season, (turn, turn, turn, turn)
To everything (turn, turn, turn, turn) There is a season, (turn, turn, turn, turn)
Ain't got no home, ain't got no shoes Ain't got no money, ain't got no class Ain't got no skirts, ain't got no sweaters Ain't got no faith, ain't got no beard Ain't got no mind
Ain't got no mother, ain't got no culture Ain't got no friends, ain't got no schooling Ain't got no love, ain't got no name Ain't got no ticket, ain't got no token Ain't got no God
What have I got? Why am I alive anyway? Yeah, what have I got? Nobody can take away
I got my hair, I got my head I got my brains, I got my ears I got my eyes, I got my nose I got my mouth, I got my smile
I got my tongue, I got my chin I got my neck, I got my boobs I got my heart, I got my soul I got my back, I got my sex
I got my arms, I got my hands I got my fingers, got my legs I got my feet, I got my toes I got my liver, got my blood
I've got life, I've got my freedom I've got the life I got a headache, and toothache And bad times too like you
I got my hair, I got my head I got my brains, I got my ears I got my eyes, I got my nose I got my mouth, I got my smile
I got my tongue, I got my chin I got my neck, I got my boobies I got my heart, I got my soul I got my back, I got my sex
I got my arms, I got my hands I got my fingers, got my legs I got my feet, I got my toes I got my liver, got my blood
I've got life, I've got my freedom I've got life, I'm gonna keep it I've got life, I'm gonna keep it
Young, gifted and black, Oh what a lovely precious dream To be young, gifted and black, Open your heart to what I mean In the whole world you know There's a million boys and girls Who are young, gifted and black And that's a fact!
You are young, gifted and black We must begin to tell our young There's a world waiting for you This is a quest that's just begun When you feel really low there's a great truth that you should know When you're young, gifted and black Your soul's intact
How long to be young, gifted and black How I long to know the truth There are times when I look back And I am haunted by my youth Oh but my joy of today Is that we can all be proud to say To be young, gifted and black Is where it's at!