Lyrics:

Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves
And blood at the root

Black bodies swingin'
In the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hangin'
From the poplar trees

Pastoral scene of the gallant South
The bulgin' eyes
And the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burnin' flesh

Instrumental

Here is 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

Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves
And blood at the root

Black bodies swingin'
In the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hangin'
From the poplar trees