STONEWALL INN - 1. STONEWALL INN

STONEWALL

By Graham Sealby

09/04/2018

Come sit my fellow traveller

While I tell to you a story

Of how a people, long suppressed

Gained freedom, respect, and glory

Come sit you down beside me

And interrupt me not

For this tale long remembered be

And n'er be forgot

Our persecutors loud and shrill they were

So strident and irate

From pulpit, courtroom, school and home

They brayed their awful hate

We'd endured their constant cruelty, and

The taunt that we're just freaks

In silence, and with lowered eyes

We turned the other cheek

But then one Saturday, late in June

In the year of sixty-nine

To Stonewall inn, the wee small hours

Came cops, emulating swine

At Stonewall inn, in times gone past

We'd suffered their abuse

Handcuffs, fists and boots were used

To fill up their caboose

So meek, gentle, and soft were we

So complacent we became

We let the bastards ruin our lives

Without a thought of shame

But then a spark, a cry of 'No!'

No more will we submit

We'll stand and fight for freedom's sake

No more your bloody shit!

The cry went out, that early morn

And soon the street was manned

By gays who'd simply had enough

And vowed to make a stand

Against prejudiced, phobic, ignorant nutters, and

Those bible bashing types

Against cowards in all elected posts

We fought for basic rights

Our movement swift and enraged grew

No more to be denied

Our freedom, respect and basic rights

So cruelly past deprived

. . . became . . .

A world-wide multitude of gays

Beneath the rainbow banner

We gained a voice, nay T'was a shout

So forceful did we clamour

So,

Pass on the word: let's shout aloud

NEVER AGAIN! , NEVER AGAIN!

because

NEVER AGAIN WILL WE BOW DOWN

again

NEVER AGAIN! - And now amen.

. . . . to the Heroes of Stonewall Inn, June 28, 1969