Ballad Of Oxford Lyrics - Singles - Phil Ochs

I'll sing you a song about a southern town where the devil had his rule 

When marshalls faced an angry mob to send one man to school 

His name was jimmy meredith 

The tide he helped to turn 

For he chose to stay on that terrible day 

The land was soon to learn 

There was blood, red blood, on their hands, 

Yellow dirt on their clothes 

What they thought they were doing, 

Only God and the devil knows 

There was hate, cold hate, in their hearts, 

Shot from their souls like a gun 

And as they threw their stones and bricks, 

They screamed, "see what you have done!" 

The governor made a promise he would keep the trouble down 

But when the mob got ugly no troopers could be found 

And men were filled with hate and fear, 

They screamed into the night 

The rebel flag waved in the air 

The symbol of state's rights 

There was blood, red blood, on their hands, 

Yellow dirt on their clothes 

What they thought they were doing, 

Only God and the devil knows 

There was hate, cold hate, in their hearts, 

Shot from their souls like a gun 

And as they threw their stones and bricks, 

They screamed, "see what you have done!" 

Gas was fired into the mob after each attack 

And though the gas was running low, they never fired back 

And when the smoke had cleared and the fury felt it's pain 

Two men were dead and a hundred bled 

The south had risen again 

So listen mr barnet, and mr walker, too 

The times are changing mighty fast, they'll roll right over you 

But someday you'll head for the south, to the southern tip of hell 

And it's hot down there, white-hot down there 

Let's hear your rebel yell! 

There was blood, red blood, on their hands, 

Yellow dirt on their clothes 

What they thought they were doing, 

Only God and the devil knows 

There was hate, cold hate, in their hearts, 

Shot from their souls like a gun 

And as they threw their stones and bricks, 

They screamed, "see what you have done!" 

"see what you have done!"