This track was originally composed for WNYC's "More Perfect" podcast. The song illustrates the passing of the 15th amendment in 1870, which granted Black Americans the right to vote. Part of the amendment text reads that no man shall be discriminated against by his "race, color, or previous condition of servitude," inspiring the opening lines of the track. However, shortly after its passing, local laws passed by states throughout the nation lead to a de facto nullification of the amendment, ushering in the Jim Crow era and a new chapter in Black Americans' ongoing struggle for equality.
lyrics
Not by race, not by color
Nor the chains I once was under
Can you keep my suffrage out of sight
Fifteen, fifteen
No longer a distant dream, well you
Were a door and I stepped inside
I won’t be cast aside
In that voting line ‘cause
You got scared of all the color in my skin
I won’t be pushed aside
In that voting line cause
You got scared of all the power I’d rein in
Though short-lived and undermined
600 black men find a seat at the table
Holdin’ our chins to the light
‘Till the terror dressed in white
‘Till Jim Crow and all its might
'Till the sweepin’ reach of America in fright
I won’t be cast aside
In that voting line ‘cause
You got scared of all the color in my skin
I won’t be pushed aside
In that voting line cause
You got scared of all the power I’d rein in
I am a freeman
Black American
I am a freeman
I got my vote in hand
credits
from 15th Amendment,
released June 19, 2020
Aisha Burns - vocals, acoustic guitar, viola, synth
Dailey Tolliver - electric guitar
Jordan Geiger - piano
Written by Aisha Burns. Recorded and mixed at Estuary Recording by Michael Landon in Austin, Texas. June 20, 2018.