The countryside was cold and still
There were three crosses on the hill
Each one wore a burning hood
To hide its rotten core of wood
And I cried, "Father, I hear an iron sound"
Hoof beats on the frozen ground
Downhill the riders came
Lord, it was a cryin' shame
To see the blood upon their whips
To hear the snarlin' from their lips
And I cried, "Mother, I feel a stabbing pain"
Hey, blood flows down like summer's rain, summer's rain

Each one wore a mask of white
To hide his cruel face from sight
Each one sucked a hungry breath
Out of the empty lungs of death
And I cried, "Sister, hey sister, raise my bloody hand"
It's so lonesome to be dead, mmm, to be dead
He who rides with the klan is a devil and not a man
For underneath his white disguise
I have looked into his eyes
And I cry, "Brother, stand by me, it's not so easy to be free"
Brother, sister, hey mother, hey father, stand by me
Hey, it's not so easy to be free
To be free