Lyrics
Close your eyes and see a better life
Beyond sight, it take a vision when you takin’ flights
Like the Wrights, this is civil rights, this is justice
And we gon’ get it like the great Charles Henry Douglass
Charles Henry Douglass
Daddy name was Charles, moma name was Ellen
February 1870, they had a legend
Comin’ up, son of a former slave
Lost his pops, early age, had to learn to be brave
Now the, head of the house lookin’ out for the fam
Helping mom to pay the bills really bruh was the man
Heavyweight put on his shoulders that would make most buckle
So he ain’t have to flex, he just got it off the muscle
Light wood and veggies, used to peddle in the AM
Afterschool chopping cotton, pennies, they would pay him
Brother pushing buggies for a minute, then was fixing bikes
Leveled up to run a company then met his wife
At Georgia Loan and Savings, she was counting’ paper
Ms. Fannie Appling, he changed her name to Douglass later
They got married, say the match they made was heavenly
6 children later say they started on a legacy
Close your eyes and see a better life
Beyond sight, it take a vision when you takin’ flights
Like the Wrights, this is civil rights, this is justice
And we gon’ get it like the great Charles Henry Douglass
Charles Henry Douglass
1904 He made investments
Olcmulgee Theatre, 2 years he was blessed with
On to the next grabbed another piece of real estate
Buildings down on Broadway, that you could see in broad day
Matter fact, ownership became colloquial
Up the street, had a hotel, called it Colonial
But think, a wealthy black man in the old south
Where they lynched Emmett for a whistle and a smart mouth
Racist bigots wanted Douglass as a dead man
They said the klan put a bounty on his head fam
Got it out the mud, let me tell you bout this red clay
Blood of the slaughtered how he treaded through this pathway
That’s a different pain, when you seein’ bodies swang
Type to touch Elijah’s brain and light the flame to change his slave name
The type of pain to make the should that sit inside our vocals
And turn a local to a mogul that’s on everything
Close your eyes and see a better life
Beyond sight, it take a vision when you takin’ flights
Like the Wrights, this is civil rights, this is justice
And we gon’ get it like the great Charles Henry Douglass
Charles Henry Douglass
1907 It’s more than property
Organized the Florida blossom ministries and comedy
Ain’t no joke though, how he learned the game so well
And beat a system where these black males be dead or in jail
Yeah, the definition of a boss, living motivation
Member of the Theatre Owners Booking Association
1911 Sold the business to his partner Peter
Thought of a place the talents of the time could come and feature
Another theatre, gave it his namesake
Douglass on the marquee, destination for the greats
Movies by Micheaux, you might see Butter Beans and Susie
That Ida Cox, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey blues be
All up in your soul like the king Otis Redding
Back when Hamp Swain would host the teen parties, living legend
Ellingtons and Calloways standing on that foundation
We learn the legacy and pass it through the generations
Close your eyes and see a better life
Beyond sight, it take a vision when you takin’ flights
Like the Wrights, this is civil rights, this is justice
And we gon’ get it like the great Charles Henry Douglass
Charles Henry Douglass