Eric Bogle - Singing the Spirit Home lyrics

They came for him in the morning, an hour before dawning The pale white moon was waning in the African sky The cell door flew wide open, they stood looking at him He saw no mercy in their hearts, no pity in their eyes As they took him and they bound him, tied his trembling hands behind him He felt his courage leave him, his manhood disappear His legs would not support him, so from the cell they dragged him He sobbed and screamed and cursed them in his loneliness and fear Chains, chains, chains How many souls have died in freedom's name To some it is a way of life, to others just a word To some it is a snow-white dove, to some a bloody sword But until the last chains fall, freedom will make slaves of us all With faces closed and hidden the white guards walked beside him Indifferent to his pleading - they'd been down this path before But other eyes were watching, other ears were listening Other hearts beat with him in his final desperate hour From the darkness of that prison came the sound of his brothers singing Courage, their voices told him, you do not walk alone From their cells beyond the shadow he heard their voices echo As in love and pride and sorrow they sang his spirit home Chains, chains, chains How many souls have died in freedom's name To some it is a way of life, to others just a word To some it is a snow-white dove, to some a bloody sword But until the last chains fall, freedom will make slaves of us all And their song of hope and freedom, it rang inside that prison It beat against the iron bars and crashed against the stone As in their fear and hate they hung him, the last sound that filled his being Was his brothers singing, singing his spirit home Courage, brother, you do not walk alone We shall walk with you and sing your spirit home Ends with singing of SHOSHOLOSA