[Verse 1:]
Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the roots

Black bodies swingin'
In the southern breeze
Strange fruit hangin'
From the poplar trees

[Verse 2:]
Pastoral scene of
The gallant south
The bulging eyes and twisted mouth

Scent of magnolias
Sweet and fresh
And the sudden smell
Of burning flesh

[Verse 3:]
Here is the fruit
For the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather

For the wind to suck
For the sun to rot
For the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop