They say the whole thing started with Fanny Taylor's lie That spark lit the flame, fear an' hatred fed the fire Truly, it started centuries ago Ships with human cargo chained down below I was in the third grade, I could read an' write I remember every thing, the moon was full an' bright So bright, you could see shadows at midnight The night they burned Rosewood to the ground Rosewood, Rosewood Buried in the ashes of history Rosewood, Rosewood Where my family home used to be Had to put on heavy clothes, fast as we could There was shootin' everywhere Had to get out in the woods First person killed was my uncle Sam Carter was his name What happened in Rosewood that night Nothin' but a crime an' a shame Newspapers told how many Whites an' blacks were counted dead But the tears had no color The tears their families shed Anyway, the numbers in the papers Were nowhere near the truth Coulda been ten, coulda been a hundred We had no proof Rosewood, Rosewood Buried in the ashes of history Rosewood, Rosewood Where my family home used to be The first day of the New Year, 1923 Burned like a brand on a child's memory Hidin' in the swamps, prayin' we'd get away Never talked about it – 'til today Rosewood, Rosewood Buried in the ashes of history Rosewood, Rosewood Where my family home used to be Burned like a brand on a child's memory Where my family home used to be