Abel & Laura Meeropol
Strange Fruit was first a poem written by a NYC school teacher, Abel Meeropol in 1937...he was deeply affected by a photograph of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith being lynched on August 7, 1930 in Indiana. The "protest" poem (later set to music with the help of his wife Laura) was a direct attack on American racism and in particular the brutal lynching of African-Americans. Strange Fruit was made famous when it was performed as a song by Billie Holiday, who first sang and recorded it in 1939.
Listen to Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit
STRANGE FRUIT
Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
The poem inspired many other poems, musical versions, plays, etc. In my opinion, the best alternate version was done by Nina Simone...
America, strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees...still?
Listen to Nina Simone's Strange Fruit
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