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A Piece of Ground Lyrics by Miriam Makeba

Pata Pata

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When the white man first came here from over the seas
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 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
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 white diggers were few and the gold was so deep
That the black man was called 'cause his labor was cheap
With drill and with shovel he toiled underground
For six pennies a day to tender the ground
Now this land is so rich and it seems strange to me
That the black man whose labor 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 thirty per cent of the ground?
Yet, 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 rumor that's running around
That the black man's demanding his own piece of ground
His own piece of ground
Credits
Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba

About “A Piece of Ground” by Miriam Makeba

Read the complete lyrics to "A Piece of Ground" by Miriam Makeba from the album "Pata Pata". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"A Piece of Ground" is performed by Miriam Makeba. from the album "Pata Pata" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "A Piece of Ground", explore more songs by Miriam Makeba using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"A Piece of Ground" is credited to Miriam Makeba. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"A Piece of Ground" appears on "Pata Pata".

Visit the Miriam Makeba artist page at /artist/miriam-makeba for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.