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Children's Miracle
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Amidon Community Music
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This is a free download. Please feel free to pass it around.Here are: full piano/SATB score, piano score, vocal score, and lyric sheet.This can also be sung as a solo ballad singin
g to guitar, banjo or piano. This is a most extraordinary story when, in May 1963, thousands of children marched from school to the 16th Street Baptist Church, to the streets of Birmingham, to jail in support of the Civil Rights Movement. Their actions and courage resulted in the end of segregation laws in Birmingham and helped re-energize the national Civil Rights movement that ultimately brought about the Voting Rights Act. I learned the story from Chapters 18-20 in Taylor Branch's book "Parting of the Waters" and from the Academy Award winning documentary The Children's March. Here is shorter Youtube on the Children's March.LYRICS The Children’s Miracle words by Peter Amidon ©2006 Amidon Music Publishing The year was 1963,Alabama was the state,Birmingham was a cityDivided by hate, hate,Divided by hate.Now Dr. King was workingTo integrate that townBut now his freedom movementWas grinding to the ground,Was grinding to the ground.“I’ve done all that’s in my powerAnd everything has failed.”He got into his work clothesAnd he marched right off to jail, jail,He marched right off to jail.But hold the presses, Just before they locked the door He made a phone call to a friend Said, ‘This will be your hour, brother, This will be your hour.”James Bevel was the savior,Inspired if a bit unsound,He said ‘We need to fill the jails,To turn this thing around, roundTo turn this thing around.Since the older folks might lose their jobsTheir cars and their homesWe’ll fill the jails with Negro’sWho are not so fully grown, grownThey’re not so fully grown.He called the children, The little girls and boys, You’ve got important work to do, You put away your toys, toys, You put away your toys.They started with every cheerleaderAnd athlete in the town;They even got the beauty queensTo spread the word around, round,To spread the word around.Bevel called up Shelley ‘Playboy’Of WBNN.Shelley broadcast a secret codeSo kids know where and when, when,The kids know where and when.Here comes DDay Put a toothbrush in your pack;Once we start this thing, We’re never turning back, back, We’re never turning back.When King got out of prisonHe searched his soul in pain."How can we let our childrenSuffer for our gain, gain,They’ll suffer for our gain."But Bevel had inspiredA fire in every young heart,There’s nothin’ gonna stop usOr break us apart, partOr break us apart.The signal’s given, And out of school they poured They jumped out from the windows And they ran from every door, door, They ran from every door.The Baptist Church on 16th StreetWas the meeting place for all,They gathered with the grownupsAnd they waited for the call, callThey waited for the call.We’re talking on the 2nd dayOf May in ’63,That Bevel opened the Church’s doorSet those children free, freeHe set those children free.You come arrest us You lock us all away,And when the world sees what you’ve done What do you think they’ll say, say, What do you think they’ll say?They were let out in staggered groupsOf 50 at a time,And as each group was whisked to jailThere were five more groups behind, hind,Five more groups behind.9 hundred and 73 childrenWere arrested that first day,At 16th Street that eveningThe parents came to pray, prayThe parents came to pray.Martin Luther, Oh Dr. King, they cried When will we see our babies, Our precious love and pride, pride Our precious love and pride.“Don’t worry about your children,They’re gonna be just fineThey’re doing a job for AmericaA job for all mankind, kind,A job for all mankind.”This struggle set in motionA shifting of the tide towardsGiving equal rights to everyWoman, man and child, childWoman man and child.Thank you children Just look what you have done, You marched and sang and conquered fear And you have overcome, Lordy, You have overcome. Yes, thank you children Just look what you have done, You marched and sang and conquered fear You have overcome, children, You have overcome.
