The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll
With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger
At a Baltimore hotel society gath’rin’
And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him
As they rode him in custody down to the station
And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain’t the time for your tears
With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger
At a Baltimore hotel society gath’rin’
And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him
As they rode him in custody down to the station
And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain’t the time for your tears
William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four years
Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres
With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him
And high office relations in the politics of Maryland
Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders
And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarling
In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain’t the time for your tears
Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres
With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him
And high office relations in the politics of Maryland
Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders
And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarling
In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain’t the time for your tears
Hattie Carroll was a maid of the kitchen
She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children
Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage
And never sat once at the head of the table
And didn’t even talk to the people at the table
Who just cleaned up all the food from the table
And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level
Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane
That sailed through the air and came down through the room
Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle
And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain’t the time for your tears
She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children
Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage
And never sat once at the head of the table
And didn’t even talk to the people at the table
Who just cleaned up all the food from the table
And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level
Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane
That sailed through the air and came down through the room
Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle
And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain’t the time for your tears
In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel
To show that all’s equal and that the courts are on the level
And that the strings in the books ain’t pulled and persuaded
And that even the nobles get properly handled
Once that the cops have chased after and caught ’em
And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom
Stared at the person who killed for no reason
Who just happened to be feelin’ that way without warnin’
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished
And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance
William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence
Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Bury the rag deep in your face
For now’s the time for your tears
To show that all’s equal and that the courts are on the level
And that the strings in the books ain’t pulled and persuaded
And that even the nobles get properly handled
Once that the cops have chased after and caught ’em
And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom
Stared at the person who killed for no reason
Who just happened to be feelin’ that way without warnin’
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished
And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance
William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence
Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Bury the rag deep in your face
For now’s the time for your tears
Copyright © 1964, 1966 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1992 by Special Rider Music
Turn on Fox news, and listen to Sean Hannity and others "philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears," then take the rag away from your face, for now ain't the time for your tears. It's time to arm yourself with truth:
Hattie Carrol was the third employee Zatzinger drunkenly assaulted at the Spinster's Ball February 9. 1963. After striking the waitress, he attacked his own wife, knocked her to the ground, and hit her with his shoe. George Zimmerman made forty-six 911 calls beginning in 2004 reporting suspicious characters in the gated community he "patrolled" carrying his gun before he used it to kill Tryvon Martin February 26, 2012.
Zantzinger, 24 years old, was 6"2 and white.
Zimmerman is 28, 5" 9 , his father is white, his mother is Hispanic.
Zatzinger called another waitress a "nigger" and hit her with the cane, moments later asked Ms. Carroll for a bourbon and when she wasn't fast enough for his liking, called her a "nigger" then "you black son of a bitch" before striking her with the cane. Zimmerman's 911 call has words that are going to become part of the trial, words that some say are his calling Trayvon a "fucking coon."
Today, the day after George Zimmerman has been arrested, different people have different beliefs of what is true. As I said in my last post, Simon and Garfunkle have it right, after changes upon changes we are more or less the same. Things are more or less the same as they were when William Zantzinger was arrested in 1963.
In 2001, Zantzinger discussed the song with Howard Sounes for Down the Highway, the Life of Bob Dylan. He dismissed the song as a "total lie" and claimed "It's actually had no effect upon my life," but expressed scorn for Dylan, saying, "He's a no-account son of a bitch, he's just like a scum of a scum bag of the earth, I should have sued him and put him in jail." Yesterday, Sean Hannity (devoted promoter and fan of Sarah Palin) went on record a short time after the arrest was announced, saying that in George Zimmerman's second degree murder charges there "Might be some overcharging here."
I disagree with Mr. Hannity. And I disagree with the late Mr. Zantzinger (Zantzinger died on January 3, 2009, at the age of 69). George Zimmerman's actions called for the charge of second degree murder, and I would call Bob Dylan an American treasure. Who's truth is the real truth?
We Babygate investigators say we are trying to get to the truth about Trig's birth. We do this because we believe it will unleash other truths that will make it possible for this country to move forward and not backward. We like post-Civil Rights America. We call ourselves Truthers.
There's a social theory that says the truth is found at the bottom of the social structure. For example, those who make minimum wage and hope their kid doesn't outgrow his shoes this month because they have just enough in the cookie jar to pay next month's rent, those people have a clearer picture of the state of the economy than Mitt Romney with his $56K coming in today (and tomorrow, and the next day). A MUCH clearer picture. Middle class and poor women know what Planned Parenthood does to keep women healthy, while Rush Limbaugh thinks birth control pills are consumed in quantities directly related to frequency of copulation. The truth is found at the bottom. The 1%-ers haven't got a clue.
Dylan wrote from that social rung. He was a teenager when he joined the Civil Rights movement, walking the walk with protestors, and as a very young man, climbed the steps to take the national stage and sing about what he saw, words that rang true. Dylan was a trubadour of truth, misunderstood and resented by many people in higher, richer, or less diverse social circles who had a different version of truth. They dismissed the actions of Zantzinger, who at that time was a wealthy young tobacco farmer from Charles County, Maryland - a county where schools were not integrated until 1967.
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll was released on Dylan's 1964 album The Times They Are a-Changin' . Here we are in 2012, and the times they are repeatin'. Now's not the time for your tears.
Now's the time for action. Occupy. Volunteer. Santorum dropped out. The Republicans chose Mitt and the race has officially begun. Help get out the vote. Let your representatives know where you stand on women's issues. Find ways to rationally discuss the dangerous direction of the GOP hate-speech aimed at President Obama, Sandra Fluke, and minority groups in general (who do you think "Blah" people are?)
These are times that demand our involvement. Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus claims there is no war on women, "that's a fiction", and says in the same interview that Sarah Palin plays a key role today. Tell the GOP women are more evolved than caterpillars and a party that is pro-life should be applauding the arrest and charging of George Zimmerman. Now's not the time for your tears.
The Republicans want the White House, the Tea Party types want even more power in Congress. If they succeed, THAT will be the time for your tears.
3 comments:
I think Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder. First degree is premeditated and I don't think what he did was considered to be premeditated. I would argue that chasing someone with a loaded gun, whether you knew the person personally or not, is premeditated. He did not carry the gun for decoration and had gone out looking for trouble. I think Zimmerman will be given a fair trial and I hope that the jury finds him guilty. He should have thought before driving around a neighborhood with a loaded gun.
You are right, its a second degree murder charge. I'm going to correct that right now.
And I could agree that he went looking to use that gun, but the second degree charge makes that a moot point while still going for life in prison which is the outcome I'd like to see.
Very good Allison. We have 6 months to take down these purveyors of ill will and move our country on to bigger and better things for all. We have to keep President Obama in office and take back Congress. The Tea Party have proven themselves as worthless! Time for all of them to go!
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