Were you there when the man from Atlanta was murdered in Memphis
Did you see him layin' at the low rent hotel
Did you hear them say that the CIA is witness
To the murder of a man at a motel in Memphis
[Chorus:]
Motel in Memphis, motel in Memphis
Run and tell somebody, there's blood on the riverside
Old muddy water, rollin' through Memphis
If you were there you'd swear it was more than a man who died
Did you see Coretta she's sobbin' on the corner in a black veil
Did you see Mr Crump in a white coat grin
Did you walk down river where the cotton woods are swingin'
With ghostly bodies of man
[Chorus:]
Were you there with Mahalia wailin' at the funeral
Did you watch them lower his casket in
Did you tremble when you thought about the future
And cry out for a modern man
[Chorus:]