Rhiannon Giddens - We Could Fly (Official Video)

Rhiannon Giddens’s book “We Could Fly,“ inspired by and featuring the lyrics of the song, is out now on Candlewick Press: The song “We Could Fly“ is from Rhiannon Giddens’s 2017 album ’Freedom Highway’: The song draws on a heritage of African folklore, capturing an incantatory dialogue between a mother and daughter to celebrate love, resilience, and the spiritual power of the “old-time ways”—tradition and shared cultural memory—to sustain and uplift. Illustrations by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu Video Produced by Noir Prism Studios WE COULD FLY (written by Rhiannon Giddens & Dirk Powell) Mama, dear mama, look in yonder tree See that pretty little sparrow, a-lookin’ back at me She can soar above the clouds, way up in the sky She can fly away from here, why, o why, can’t I? Daughter, dear daughter, I’ll tell you something true Remember Gran Eliza, well, every night she flew They tried to keep her down but there was nothing they could do She could fly, she could fly She could slip the bonds of earth and rise so high She could fly across the river Her spirit in her hands Searching, always searching for the promised land Mama, dear mama, mama tell me more I feel a trembling in my arms, I’ve never felt before Daughter, dear daughter, listen what I say Your granny always told me you’d feel that way some day Every time she looked at you she saw the old-time ways When we could fly, we could fly We could slip the bonds of earth and rise so high We could fly across the mountains Together, hand in hand Searching, always searching for the promised land Mama, dear mama, come and stand by me I feel a lightness in my feet, a longing to be free My heart it is a-shakin’ with an old, old song I hear the voices sayin’, it’s time for moving on She took her mama by the hand, they rose up in the air They held each other tight and then They flew away from there They held each other tight and then they flew away from there They could fly, they could fly They could slip the bonds of earth and rise so high They could fly across the ocean Together, hand in hand Searching, always searching for the promised land #rhiannongiddens #dirkpowell #wecouldfly #kidsbook