"Playboy" Magazine, January 1965

Playboy:

"We Shall Overcome" has become the uofficial song and slogan of ther civil rights movement. Do You consider such inspirational anthems important to morale?"

King:

"In a s ense, songs are the soul of a movement. Consider in World War II, "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" and in World War I, 'Over There' and 'Tipperary', and during the Civil War, 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' and 'John Brown's Body'. The Negro song anthology would include sorrow songs, shouts for joy, battle hymns, anthems. Since slavery, the Negro has sung throughout his stuggle in America. 'Steal Away' and 'Go Down, Moses' were the songs of faith and inspiration which were sung on plantations. For the same reasons the slave sang, Negroes today sing freedom songs, for we, too, are in bomdage. We sing our determination that 'We shall overcome, black and white together, we shall overcome some day.' I should also mention a song parody that I enjoyed very much which the Negroes sang during our campaign in Albany, Georgia. It goes 'I'm comin', I'm comin'/And my head ain't bendin' low/I'm walkin' tall, I'm talking strong/I'm America's new Black Joe.'"

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There is another reference to music in Dr, King's book entitled "Why We Can't Wait" which I will share later...

Hope folks are enjoying reading some of Dr. King's writings and interviews I'm trying real hard not to typo them into my usual so it is a tad tedius but, hey... I'm sure Dr. King would be happy to know that this ol' hillbilly loves him eough to "struggle" thru real typing and proofreading...

B~