[Intro] [Spoken softly over piano] A Tribute to Benjamin Zephaniah & The New Cross 13 January 18th, 1981 439 New Cross Road. A birthday party. Young people. Just dancing. Laughing. Living. Then the flames rose. And the silence began. Benjamin Zephaniah saw it all. He spoke for them when no one would listen. This is for them. This is for the truth that still burns. You get it? "Let It Go!" [Verse 1] Cold January morning, nineteen eighty-one South East London, where the work gets done Two birthdays celebrated, candles glowing bright A hundred young souls staying up through the night Then somebody shouted — fire at the window pane Flames rising fast like they fell like rain Some jumped from upstairs, nowhere else to go Others trapped inside where the smoke would grow Thirteen young lives swallowed by the heat While the world outside turned a blind eye to the street Silence on the news, no words from the crown Like our children’s lives just didn’t count enough. [Chorus] Thirteen dead — and nothing said While the nation turned its head Silence is a weapon, it cuts just like a knife And they watched our young people lose their life Benjamin stood up when the rest were too afraid He said "We must not forget" — and the memory never fades We will carry their names, we will carry the weight Truth delayed ain't truth erased — we won't wait [Verse 2] They said it was a candle, said it was an accident But the community smelled something different Footsteps outside, a bottle thrown in the dark But nobody wanted to chase that mark Police came slow, questions came hard While the flames were still burning in the yard Dublin burned and the whole world cried But when our children died, they just stepped aside Systemic failure — every link in the chain Bad housing, slow help, and the constant pain Of knowing your life don't carry the same worth That's why Benjamin wrote those words on the earth. [Bridge] [Female, Melodic Vocal] "13 Dead." That poem echoed through the years Benjamin's voice — the truth in our ears He didn't just write it — he carried their pain Until the day he passed, he kept speaking their name We lost a giant too, but his words remain Every time we speak them, justice starts to rain We don't need a march to keep the memory alive We just refuse to let their names be buried or die. [Chorus] Thirteen dead — and nothing said While the nation turned its head Silence is a weapon, it cuts just like a knife And they watched our young people lose their life Benjamin stood up when the rest were too afraid He said "We must not forget" — and the memory never fades We will carry their names, we will carry the weight Truth delayed ain't truth erased — we won't wait [Vocal Drop] ("T.Y.S.O.N!") [Outro] [Voice quiet, reverent, one breath between each name] In Christ's name, we remember you: Angela Jackson, 14 Steve Collins, 15 Patrick Cummings, 15 Andrew Gooding, 16 Patricia Johnson, 16 Christopher Gooding, 17 Gerry Francis, 17 Peter Campbell, 18 Humphrey Brown, 18 Owen Thompson, 21 Lloyd Hall, 22 Milton Campbell, 23 Yvonne Ruddock, 24 Gone from our sight — but never from our hearts. And Benjamin… thank you for speaking when others wouldn't. Rest in power, family. Rest in power. [END]
