We raise de wheat,
Dey gib us de corn:
We bake de bread,
Dey gib us de crust;
We sif de meal,
De gib us de huss;
We peel de meat,
Dey gib us de skin;
And dat’s de way
Dey take us in;
We skim de pot,
Dey gib us de liguor,
And say dat’s good enough for a nigger…
From: Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom, 1853
Reference:
Frederick Douglass
