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,
Then the sudden smell of the burning flesh
Ch:
Aux arbres du Sud pendent d'étranges fruits
Des corps noirs qui se balancent
La douce odeur des magnolias
Chassée par la chair brûlée
Here's a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop
Ch:
Aux arbres du Sud pendent d'étranges fruits
Des corps noirs qui se balancent
La douce odeur des magnolias
Chassée par la chair brûlée
