Christy Moore

Biko Drum

Christy Moore


Tom: C

    Am    F                    G
    Wait, listen to the Biko drum! (4x)

              G               C       G
    And they went home on an Easter road,
          C                   F       G
    on a silent night tryin' not to show
     C                  F         G
    who goes where and who goes when,
              F                            C     G
    thinkin' some day soon they'll get it back again.

               G                   C        G
    From the ghetto in Capetown to dig the gold,
     C                 F        G
    little black baby can't be sold,
     C                    F       G
    under tin roof and a plastic wall,
              F                           C       G
    thinkin' someday soon we're goin' to leave it all.

         C                      Em       F
And the renegades sing all the renegade songs,
        Am                               Em
and the ones who know hope they're doin' wrong.
      F                                     G
The blacks and the coloreds play the Biko Drum,
         F                                G    Am    F     G
all the blacks and the coloreds play the Biko Dru..........m.

     G                    C        G
    Transvaal Kids on a Transvaal day,
     C                      F       G
    little by little they show the way
          C                  F      G
    to a city of dreams and solid ground,
              F                        C     G
    thinkin' someday soon we're gonna come around.

      G                       C     G
     Steve, he's livin' in a prison cell,
               C                         F     G
    all the friends that know hope he's doin' well.
          C                       F     G
    Down here they listen to the Biko drum,
           F                      C        G
    down here they listen to the songs he sung.

         C                     Em        F
And the renegades sing all the renegade songs,
        Am                               Em
and the ones who know hope they're doin' wrong.
      F                                     G
The blacks and the coloreds play the Biko Drum,
         F                                G    Am    F     G
all the blacks and the coloreds play the Biko Dru............m.

    Am    F                    G
    Wait, listen to the Biko drum! (2x)

     G                    C      G
    Nelson listen to the people sing,
     C                   F        G
    Nelson Mandela, the people's king.
      C                       F          G
    Twenty-seven years in a white man's jail,
      F                             C        G
    twenty-seven years we couldn't make him say.

         C                     Em        F
And the renegades sing all the renegade songs,
        Am                               Em
and the ones who know hope they're doin' wrong.
      F                                     G
The blacks and the coloreds play the Biko Drum,
         F                                G    Am    F     G
all the blacks and the coloreds play the Biko Dru............m.

    Am    F                    G
    Wait, listen to the Biko drum ! (4x)