Rhiannon Giddens - Build a House (Official Video)

Rhiannon Giddens' "Build a House" with Yo-Yo Ma and Francesco Turrisi is out now on Nonesuch: https://rhiannongiddens.lnk.to/buildahouse

Rhiannon Giddens’s book debut, "Build a House," inspired by and featuring the lyrics of the song, is out now on Candlewick Press: https://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