Lily

We found her quite pretty, Lily
She came from Somalia, Lily
In a boat full of immigrants
Who all came of their own free will
To empty the trash in Paris

She believed we were all equal, Lily
In the land of Voltaire and Hugo, Lily
But, for Debussy, on the other hand
It takes two black keys for one white
That's quite a distinction

She loved freedom so much, Lily
She dreamed of brotherhood, Lily
A hotelier on Secrétan street
Made it clear to her upon arrival
That only white people were accepted

She unloaded crates, Lily
She took on the dirty jobs, Lily
She shouts to sell cauliflowers
In the street, her brothers of color
Accompany her with a jackhammer

And when they called her Snow White, Lily
She didn't fall for the trap, Lily
She found it very amusing
Even if she had to grit her teeth
They would have been too happy

She loved a handsome curly blond, Lily
Who was ready to marry her, Lily
But, the in-laws told him
We're not racist in the slightest
But we don't want that here

She tried America, Lily
This great democratic country, Lily
She wouldn't have believed it without seeing
That the color of despair
There, too, was black

But, at a meeting in Memphis, Lily
She saw Angela Davis, Lily
Who told her 'come, my little sister
By uniting, we are less afraid
Of the wolves that stalk the trapper

And to ward off her fear, Lily
She also raises a defiant fist, Lily
In the midst of all these jerks
Who set fire to buses
Forbidden to people of color

But in your daily struggle, Lily
You will meet a good guy, Lily
And the child who will be born, one day
Will have the color of love
Against which nothing can be done

We found her quite pretty, Lily
She came from Somalia, Lily
In a boat full of immigrants
Who all came of their own free will
To empty the trash in Paris