by Langston Hughes (1901 - 1967)
Freedom will not come
Language: English
Freedom will not come
Today, this year
Nor ever
Through compromise and fear.
I have as much right
As the other fellow has
To stand
On my two feet
And own the land.
I tire so of hearing people say,
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I’m dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread.
Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need.
I live here, too.
I want my freedom
Just as you.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Langston Hughes (1901 - 1967), "Freedom" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Gwyneth Walker (b. 1947), "Freedom Will Not Come Today", 2008 [ satb chorus and piano ], from Our Dream of Freedom, no. 1, E.C.Schirmer
Publisher: ECS Publishing [external link]  [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-20
Line count: 21
Word count: 85