| "Black and White" is a song written in 1954 by David I. Arkin and Earl Robinson. The most successful recording of the song was the pop version by Three Dog Night in 1972, when it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was inspired by the United States Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education that outlawed racial segregation of public schools. The original folk song was first recorded by Sammy Davis Jr. in 1957.[1] The original lyrics of the song opened with this verse, in reference to the court: "Their robes were black, Their heads were white, The schoolhouse doors were closed so tight, Nine judges all set down their names, To end the years and years of shame." LYRICS: - words by David Arkin, music by Earl Robinson, 1956 The ink is black, the page is white Together we learn to read and write A child is black, a child is white The whole world looks upon the sight, a beautiful sight And now a child can understand That this is the law of all the land, all the land The world is black, the world is white It turns by day and then by night A child is black, a child is white Together they grow to see the light, to see the light And now at last we plainly see We'll have a dance of Liberty, Liberty! The world is black, the world is white It turns by day and then by night A child is black, a child is white The whole world looks upon the sight, a beautiful sight The world is black, the world is white It turns by day and then by night A child is black ... |
