UPDATED 1/8/2026
This protest song was written by African American music educator, cultural worker, and activist Jane Sapp*, who was active for years at the Highlander Center with her husband Herbert. It is included in the book "Let's Make a Better World: Stories and Songs by Jane Sapp" by Brandeis University Press.
It can be sung as a canon and gains power and momentum with the addition of percussion instruments.
"We have come too far
we can’t turn ‘round.
We’ll flood the streets with justice
we are freedom bound."
* for a decade we incorrectly attributed this song to poet, activist, and public intellectual June Jordan. We apologize for the error and hope all who have used this song learn who the correct creator is.
Listen to the song and Jane speak about "Freedom Bound/We Have Come Too Far" on the second episode of the Let's Make a Better World podcast, "Resilience and Transformation," on her website.
--
Here is video of the piece being sung at an Occupy event (the singing comes near the end of the video):
Showing 1 contribution