This incredible offering from Rhiannon Giddens, featuring Yo-Yo Ma. You can see it full screen on YouTube.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYDo0ZjXegM]

About “Build A House,” Ms. Giddens wrote: “This song came knocking about a week ago and I had to open the door and let it in.  What can I say about what’s been happening, what has happened, and what is continuing to happen, in this country, in the world? There’s too many words and none, all at once.  So I let the music speak, as usual.  What a thing to mark this 155th anniversary of Juneteenth with that beautiful soul Yo-Yo Ma.  Honored to have it out in the world.”

LYRICS: Build a House

You brought me here to build your house, build your house, build your house
You brought me here to build your house and grow your garden fine

I laid the brick and built your house, built your house, built your house
I laid the brick and built your house, raised the plants so high

And when you had the house and land, the house and land, the house and land
And when you had the house and land, then you told me “go.”

I found a place to build my house, build my house, build my house
I found a place to build my house since I couldn’t go back home

You said I couldn’t build a house, build a house, build a house
You said I couldn’t build a house, so you burned it down

So then I traveled far and wide, far and wide, far and wide
And then I traveled far and wide until I found a home

I learned your words and wrote a song, wrote a song, wrote a song
I learned your words and wrote a song to put my story down

But then you came and took my song, took my song, took my song
But then you came and took my song, playing it for your own

I took my bucket, lowered it down, lowered it down, lowered it down
I took my bucket, lowered it down, the well will never run dry.

You brought me here to build a house, build a house, build a house
You brought me here to build a house. I will not be moved.

No, I will not be moved. No, I will not be, I will not be, I will not be moved.

–Rhiannon Giddens

Posted on YouTube here.