verse 1
Cm Ab7 G7(9b)
Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Cm Ab7 G7(9b)
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Fm Dm7(5b) G7(9b)
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Cm Ab7 G7(9b)
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
verse 2
Cm Ab7 G7(9b)
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
Cm Ab7 G7(9b)
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Fm Dm7(5b) G7(9b)
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Cm Ab7 G7(9b)
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh
verse 3
Cm Ab7 G7(9b)
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck
Cm Ab7 G7(9b)
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
Fm Dm7(5b) G7(9b)
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop
Cm Ab7 G7(9b)
Here is a strange and bitter crop