Billie Holiday: Strange Fruit Meaning

Strange Fruit Lyrics

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the...

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   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Mar 10th 2011 !⃝

   In the poem you can see the powerlessness and despair of an age when African Americans had few legal rights and little political power. It evokes a dark past and tries to show the contrast between Nature and cruel actions of men towards black people. They are compared to a "strange and bitter crop” in order to depreciate their value. Although they are described as “scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh", black people were burnt and hung and then left swinging on the trees. Hence, it pretends to show that there should be beautiful and colourful fruits instead of innocent, poor people.

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   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jun 3rd 2012 !⃝

   “Strange Fruit” was a definitely an effectively powerful song. The song is comparing black people to the strange fruit, calling them a “bitter crop”. How there were dead black people “swingin’ in the Southern breeze” smelling like blood and “burnin’ flesh” instead of the beautiful sweet smell of fruit or flowers that should have been hanging from the trees.
3. anonymous

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   Oct 8th 2021 !⃝

   I watched on Touched by an Angel.. It broke my heart. I sobbed and sobbed that my south did this to colored people for no reason! I was ashamed.This was written in 1939, by a man who saw a picture in Indiana of a hanging, so I read. I know it happened in the South too,tho. It was before my time being raised there. I knew Nothing of this kind of stuff being raised in the country, by my Christian parents. Soo sorry and sad. The woman who sang this was excellant. but I can't find her name anywhere.
4. anonymous

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   Mar 29th 2019 !⃝

   it was on the old show touched by an angel. and it showed the background to the song, and the stress it invoked. Being based in reality, although reality means nothing to some. I am old enough to remember the KKK, parades and the like. And I am up in Canada, and never heard the song before now. But back then it must have been very powerful, and the Trumpster and his followers should have to listen to it daily. No maybe hourly, as he is the biggest bully this side of the south pole. He is just changing the fruit to mexicans and the like.
5. anonymous

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   Feb 11th 2019 !⃝

   i think its a great song because she had to muster up all of her strength and courage to write and perform the song.
6. anonymous

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   Oct 3rd 2018 !⃝

   Blood on the leaves and blood on the root.
7. anonymous

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   Jan 28th 2018 !⃝

   The strange fruit was black people being hung and killed from the trees they were being lynched.

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