How Long Have You Been Blind?

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How Long Have You Been Blind?

April 28, 2023 by redtreetimes

GC Myers- The Incantation, ca 1994

Trouble in the jailhouse, trouble out in the street
You can’t blame it on someone else, you’ve got no place to retreat
Trouble in your courtroom, trouble written on the wall
And all the pieces of your mistakes are starting to fall

How long have you been blind
Been coming a long long time

–How Long Have You Been Blind?– Floyd Red Crow Westerman, 1984

Got things to do this morning but thought I’d share a song performed by the recently late and always great Harry Belafonte from back in 1985. The song, How Long Have You Been Blind?, was written and originally recorded in 1984 by Floyd Red Crow Westerman, a Dakota Sioux musician and political activist. Belafonte’s version never appeared on album or single, only appearing as part of a Canadian television special, Don’t Stop the Carnival.

But the song with its words of warning against complacency and this performance had real staying power. Lenny Kravitz recently recorded the song in tribute to Belafonte. I am including Belafonte’s 1985 performance and the new Lenny Kravitz version.