Rhiannon Giddens - Build a House (Official Video)
59,212
Published 2022-10-11
Rhiannon Giddens’s book debut, "Build a House," inspired by and featuring the lyrics of the song, is out now on Candlewick Press: www.rhiannongiddens.com/build-a-house
The song, written to commemorate Juneteenth in 2020, tells the story of an enslaved family that will not be moved, and the music that sustains them.
Illustrations by Monica Mikai
Video Produced by Noir Prism Studios
BUILD A HOUSE
You brought me here to build your house, build your house, build your house
You brought me here to build your house and grow your garden fine
I laid the brick and built your house, built your house, built your house
I laid the brick and built your house, raised the plants so high
And when you had the house and land, the house and land, the house and land
And when you had the house and land, then you told me “go."
I found a place to build my house, build my house, build my house
I found a place to build my house since I couldn’t go back home
You said I couldn’t build a house, build a house, build a house
You said I couldn’t build a house, so you burned it down
So then I traveled far and wide, far and wide, far and wide
And then I traveled far and wide until I found a home
I learned your words and wrote a song, wrote a song, wrote a song
I learned your words and wrote a song to put my story down
But then you came and took my song, took my song, took my song
But then you came and took my song, playing it for your own
I took my bucket, lowered it down, lowered it down, lowered it down
I took my bucket, lowered it down, the well will never run dry.
You brought me here to build a house, build a house, build a house
You brought me here to build a house. I will not be moved.
No, I will not be moved. No, I will not be, I will not be, I will not be moved.
#rhiannongiddens #yoyoma #buildahouse
All Comments (21)
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That voice can move mountains. Sadly, I haven't heard her in a long time but she still affects me the same as the first time I heard her music.
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Artists like Rhiannon Giddens move us forward. What a stunning song, and now childrens' book. I hope many adults utilize this and read it to their kids and/or students.
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I love this collaboration with YoYo Ma. Powerful song. ❤
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Wondeful. So True. We Must Fight back for Our Rights and Freedom. Peace and Hugs ❤️
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Yes! Storytellerwoman! (up)rooted ones, rise! thank you for this work of soul-art. I am deeply inspired
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It's so interesting, because the images that I visualized along with the song always spanned the decades. For example, for "so you burned it down", I always thought of Tulsa in 1921, and for "you came and took my song", I usually thought of Elvis. Of course, the lyrics can apply to a lot of the history, so I did know that it was applicable to a lot of events and time periods, but the idea of using the image of one family to illustrate these ideas and having them all happen in a relatively confined timeline is still accurate and very interesting and personal.
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Such an elegant, painful statement of brutal theft and enduring courage. Thanks Rhiannon for another gem.
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Rhiannon is one of the very few artists that I enjoy anytime I listen to. As always, thank you Rhiannon ❤🔥🔥
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God, this is beautiful, and powerful. I'm really new to Rhiannon's work, but being moved to tears just seems to come with the territory.
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Wow. A beautiful song. Beautifully sung. A great collaboration with Yoyo Ma.
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Yo Yo Ma has good taste. Rhiannon is a treasury for sure.
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Wow. So beautiful and moving. Rhiannon's voice, the illustrations and animation are a powerful combination.
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Oh, wow! I already loved the song, and the illustrations are beautiful.
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What a powerful song. It hits just like Purchaser's Option. Thanks for another song filled with history, lost justice and human willpower.
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Wow this was incredibly moving! The visuals, the voice, the lyricism...from start to finish it was just beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing these stories that have tried to be erased.
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Every time I hear another song from this musical goddess, this Muse, I am once again, blown away by her voice, music and everything she brings to her song. Just gorgeous.
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Beautiful song…I love the sound of the banjo and cello together…un grande ciao a Francesco, greetings from Milano
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Non seulement vous perpétuez le GOSPEL mais vous lui donnez aussi un nouvel élan et de la modernité en utilisant un rigueur classique des instruments . Bravo pour votre travail et un bonjour depuis la France ( félicitations également pour le graphisme sobre et poétique du clip) .
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Such a beautiful song and children's storybook. It just arrived by mail to our speech clinic. A story of so many that must be told, heard and listened to. With much thanks. 🇨🇦 🍁
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Moved me to tears. Beautiful and powerful.
