Today the song "Strange Fruit" is considered one of the most influential songs of the 20th century.
Strange Fruit
Strange Fruit
In 1937, the Jewish schoolteacher, Abe Meeropol, saw a photograph of a lynching of two African Americans, Abram Smith and Thomas Shipp, that had taken place in Indiana seven years before. According to Meeropol, the photograph kept haunting him, and he could not rest before he had written the poem “Strange Fruit”. He also put music to it.
Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant South,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,
And the sudden smell of burning flesh!
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for a tree to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
Fear of Communism and Racism

Meeropol was a member of the American Communist Party, and he had to use a pen name to release his poem.This was a time when communist beliefs were regarded as anti-American because they could upset the capitalist system that was so deeply rooted in the American society. At the same time, racism was as persistent as ever, particularly in the South. The KKK had strengthened its hold during the 1920s. From 1882 to 1968 there were 4.743 documented cases of lynching throughout the USA, with Mississippi topping the list. 80% of the victims were African Americans and they were hanged just on suspicion. In 2005, James Cameron, who survived a lynching, witnessed the American Senate’s apology for not enacting laws to stop the lynching. The 16-year-old Cameron worked as a shoeshine boy in the 1930s. Along with his two friends, he was accused of raping a white girl and murdering her boyfriend. While his friends were hanged, Cameron waited with the rope around his neck. He was released since someone among the spectators cried that he was innocent.

Billie Holiday
In 1939, the African American jazz singer, Billie Holiday, was persuaded to perform the song “Strange Fruit”. She said that the song reminded her about how her father had died, and it took an effort to perform it. It soon became her signature song, but the song, which was considered a protest song, angered a lot of people. For the succeeding two decades, many clubs and radio stations refused her to perform it, and to get anyone to record it proved even more difficult.
Here you can study a mural painting from Greenwich Village, New York. The artist has portrayed Billie Holiday in a characteristic way. While performing, she often wore magnolia flowers in her hair, and she interpreted the songs with an outstanding intensity and compassion.
Comprehension
Are the statements true or false?
- ”Strange Fruit” is about a public lynching.
- The setting of the poem is the American South.
- The poem was composed by an African American poet.
- The poet was inspired by a photograph.
- Communists were prosecuted in the USA.
- The KKK was very dominant in the Northern states.
- In 1905, the American Senate apologized for not enacting laws to stop the lynchings.
- Billie Holiday was flattered when she was asked to perform the song.
- The song instantly became a hit.
- “Strange Fruit” is among the most influential songs from the 20th century.
Key
1.”Strange Fruit” is about a public lynching. (T)
2. The setting of the poem is the American South. (T)
3. The poem was composed by an African American poet. (F)
4. The poet was inspired by a photograph. (T)
5. Communists were prosecuted in the USA. (T)
6. The KKK was very dominant in the Northern states. (F)
7. In 1905 the American Senate apologized for not enacting laws to stop the lynchings. (F)
8. Billie Holiday was flattered when she was asked to perform the song. (F)
9.The song instantly became a hit. (F)
10.“Strange Fruit” is among the most influential songs from the 20th century. (T)
Discuss
- Find the picture that inspired the poet of “Strange Fruit”. Key words: Abram Smith, Thomas Shipp, lynching. Why do you think this photograph influenced him to write “Strange Fruit”?
- Do you know if there are other pictures (photographs or paintings) that have inspired artists to compose songs or poems? Find examples. You may want to search for photographs/paintings that inspired the world/artists/singers.
- Look for key words on the Internet: protest songs, Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Bob Marley, R.E.M., Patti Smith, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, the Iraq War. These artists have all made popular protests songs. Discuss whether songs can change attitudes.
Literary Analysis
- Make a table with two columns where you list words generally associated with negative and positive connotations. E.g. blood (negative)
- List words and ideas in the poem that you think are associated with the American South.
- Explain these metaphors: strange fruit, pastoral scene, strange and bitter crop.
- Explain how contrasts are used in the poem.
- Why do you think the song was considered a protest song?
Learning content
US History
Fagstoff
Early Settlement to Civil War
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumWaves of Immigration
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumReconstruction to World War II
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumThe Cold War Era – A Precarious Peace
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumThe Fifties and the Sixties
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumThe Civil Rights Movement
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumThe Cuban Missile Crisis
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumThe Seventies and the Eighties
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumThe 1990s
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumInto a New Millenium
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumThe impact of 9/11
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumAbraham Lincoln
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculum12 Years a Slave (film)
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumEasy text: African Americans - from Slavery to Civil Rights
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumFrom Slavery To Civil Rights
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumMalcolm X: "Who Taught You to Hate Yourself?"
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculum- Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculum
Strange Fruit (song)You are here
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculum The Help (film)
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumThe Cuban-American Relationship
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAmerican Presidents and the Art of Rhetoric
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumFamous quotes by American Presidents
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumForrest Gump - Revisited
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumChallenges for the US in the 21st Century
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculum
Oppgaver og aktiviteter
Early Settlement to Civil War - Tasks
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumEarly Settlement - Comprehension quiz
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumEarly Settlement - Vocabulary
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumTask - Waves of Immigration
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumReconstruction to World War II – Tasks
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumCold War Jargon
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumThe Fifties and Sixties
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumThe Civil Rights Movement and Black Power – Tasks
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumVocabulary - Civil Rights
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumVocabulary 2 - Civil Rights
Core content is a subject that is on the curriculumLincoln - Tasks
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAfrican Americans - from Slavery to the Present, Text in Brief
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumInterview: Philadelphia and US History
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumRosa Parks - a Voice Heard
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumHistorical Names and Events in The Help
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumMississippi Burning
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumMississippi Burning - Tasks
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumCuba - USA, True or False?
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumPerform Like the Best - Obama and Martin Luther King
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumChallenges for the US in the 21st Century – Tasks
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumChallenges for the USA
Additional content is a subject that is not on the curriculumAdditional content is a subject that is not on the curriculum