Well they hung John Brown in 1859
After his revolt did not go fine
Trying to free the slaves was a noble cause
Like putting one's faith in the Wizard of Oz
And I know they've got John Brown in the ground
Yet I know his story's not fully text-book bound
And I know his body's a molderin' away
And I know his rifles have long turned to clay
But I figure it's time to bring him some respect
After all his spirit must be quite abject
After being lynched for humanitarian deeds
Giving Brown a hand is exactly what he needs
So I'm here in West Virginia with my Oujia Board
To bring back faith in a soldier long ignored
It's possible you'd think my intentions are scary
With this séance that I'm having at Harpers Ferry
[Chorus]
'Cause now I'm channeling John Brown's ghost
Because John Brown was an abolitionist
He did his thing at Harpers Ferry, though he missed
The opportunity to lead a slave revolt
Because the West Virginian army made him holt
He got caught by some racists who weren't down
With his liberal liberation, much too profound
He was saving the souls of a suppressed race
Society cut him down, shoved their morals in face
They said John Brown, John Brown
Just surrender now
John Brown, John Brown
We just don't know how
You could ever think you'd get away with this
His public execution was their ultimate diss
[REPEAT Chorus]
So I'm here at Harpers Ferry, waiting for a sign
To communicate with John Brown, through his mind
And I'm focusing on his very brave deeds
Occasional respect is what the dead need
Then all of a sudden, he appears to me
Like I'm Macbeth, and he's the witches three
He looks into my eyes, like they're two jars
And says, "Hello, you must be Lars."
And I'm quite surprise to see Brown today
Levitating like Slimer, and pale as clay
Yet he looks tired, and he looks warn
The expression in his eyes is somewhat forlorn
I ask him for advice on racial harmony
He tells me to continue fighting bigotry
He says we can look forward to a new society
And that he digs the song I did with B