Rosa Parks

After her death in October of 2005 I was reading an online article about Rosa Parks and wondered how much my elementary music students really knew about that era of our history and about her story. Sometimes music can convey a message more powerfully than the written or spoken word. I was deeply inspired to pen this song. Please pass it on and keep Dr. King's dream alive!

Lyrics:

Miss Rosa Parks
Lyrics & Music Copyright © 2005 by Teresa Nguyen - All Rights Reserved
Nov. 2, 2005

There she sat, on a bus in Alabama
Exhausted from a long days work
Tired bones, rocking with the bus rhythm
Till it came up to the corner, slowing to a stop
And there he was, standing in his haughty posture
Looking down his Anglo nose so full of bigotry

And he waited there for her to move
She knew that no one would approve
If she refused and stayed right where she was
But her tired bones were achin
Though her knees began a shakin
She just stood her ground and wouldnt give it up
Miss Rosa Parks, Miss Rosa Parks

Never before, such a blatant disregard for Southern law
Was something they had never seen
But she was proud
And she knew there was no justifying
Judging by the color of ones skin
She freaked them out
And the cops came rushing to the scene
Where little Rosa Parks sat dignified

(Repeat chorus)

The Reverend King, led the people on a boycott
They refused to ride a single bus to work
The world stood still
Here the actions of one person
Moved a country to its feet and they did stand

And they did march, and they did pray
And they did fight, and they did say
It wasnt right,
They needed rights
Things had to change, and they did change
Because of Miss Parks
Miss Rosa Parks
Mmm
Miss Rosa Parks, Miss Rosa Parks

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Rosa
• Parks
• Dr.
• King
• civil
• rights
• movement
• racism
• bigotry
• peace

[tessmusic08]

That's wonderful that you are helping your young students to see this history. I'm honored that you use my song. Teaching this history lesson helps them not only understand how we got to where we are, but also to appreciate the kind of peace and freedom they have because of people like Rosa Parks, MLK and many others who joined them in the fight for civil rights.

[slizzler1]

It's too bad baseball legend Jack Robinson gets no credit when he refused to the back of a segregated bus- long before Rosa Parks own stand - in 1944 when he was a US soldier. it shows how people don't read history fully - Robinson faced a court martial for his bravery.

[tessmusic08]

@slizzler1 you are absolutely right. How great people like Robinson and Parks were to stand up for equal rights! People may fully read their history, but the attention Parks received was likely due to the timing of her courageous act. As I'm sure you know, it was during the early stirrings of the civil rights movement plus the fact that she was a simple woman on her way home from work made her audacity all the more "shocking", and the photos of her arrest all the more disturbing.

[slizzler1]

@tessmusic08

Yes- I agree. However, my point is people think everything regarding Black civil Rights started in 1950 with all the focus always centered on that era. No mention is made of the Women's Rights movement helping the fight against segregation less than a century earlier, or the whites who took a stand, or the black citizens and soldiers who made initial inroads centuries before in various aspects of the USAs growth which all added up to being acknowledged beyond slaves.

[tessmusic08]

@slizzler1 And I agree with you! Too many are ignorant of our history, of the struggles of minorities and the events and actions of individuals and groups leading to long overdue changes for the better. This song was written at the time of Rosa's death so that I could teach my elementary music students this one important story out of many. One would hope that outside the classroom people like you are teaching their children, younger siblings and others, who are uneducated, about these events!

[Dianarocks333]

i really like the song so wonderful im just a 15 year old girl and well personally i think that people like rosa parks and martin are people that we as today should think about what they do and be thankfull for what they did. god bless rosa and martin may rest in peace, we love you!

[phanable1]

i would listen to this until i fell asleep.......great song....

[08nancita24]

I use this song with my ESL students. Most young Americans really don't understand the (accepted!) level of degradation Black people had to endure.

[slizzler1]

@tessmusic08

You as a musician raising awareness is a very positive learning asset for human conscience growth.

Keep it going ;-)