Piece Of Ground

When the white man first came here from over the sea

He looked and he said this is god's own country

He was mighty well pleased with this land that he'd found

And he said i will make here my own piece of ground

Now the land was inhabited so i've heard say

By little men who painted on the rock face by day

They stuck to their land so he hunted them down

And left them to rot on their own piece of ground

Many's the battle he still had to fight

Many's the family that died in the night

For many were the black men that lived all around

And all of them wanting their own piece of ground

So northwards he trekked and northwards he rode

Over veld and tough countryside onwards he strode

In the free state and the transvaal his oxen outspanned

And he planted the seed in his own piece of land

Then one fine day in 1883

Gold was discovered in good quantity

The country was rich, much richer than planned

And each digger wanted his own piece of land

Now the diggers were few and the gold was so deep

That the black man was called 'cos his labour was cheap

With drill and with shovel he toiled underground

Fourpence a day for ten tons of ground

Now this land is so rich and it seems strange to me

That the black man whose labour has helped it to be

Cannot enjoy the fruits that abound

Is uprooted and kicked from his own piece of ground

Some people say now don't you worry

We've kept you a nice piece of reserve territory

But how can a life for so many be found

On a miserable thirteen per cent of the ground?

Some people say now don't you worry

You can always find jobs in the white man's city

But don't stay too long and don't stay too deep

Or you're bound to disturb the white man in his sleep

White man don't sleep long and don't sleep too deep

Or your life and your possessions how long will you keep?

For i've heard a rumour that's running around

That the black man's demanding his own piece of ground