State of Arkansas - Pete Seeger

My name is Terry Roberts

From Little Rock I come

I went down to the schoolhouse

The place they kept me from

I went down to that schoolhouse

And this is what I saw…

State troopers with steel helmets

In the State of Arkansas

I went up to the troopers

And said, «Please let me in.»

And all their guns were pointed

At the color of my skin

They kept me from that schoolhouse

Where I’d be by law

And that’s what they call justice

In the State of Arkansas

Now his name is Orval Faubus

The governor of the state

He sent his army charging down

Nine kids at the gate

Three hundred National Guard were there

Dressed up to fight a war

And that is why I’m late for school

In the State of Arkansas

Oh listen, Mr. Governor

And Mr. President, too

Give me that constitution

That’s what you’ve got to do

Give me that constitution

I ask for nothing more

Yes, that’s what I want to study

In the State of Arkansas

I’ve traveled this wide world over

Some ups and downs I’ve saw

But I never knew what misery was

Til I hit old Arkansas