I Washed My Face in the Morning Dew

I vaguely remembered a song from my childhood in the 1960s. I recently looked it up. It is yet another expression of the frustration and sense of injustice that many people felt, and feel, about how the rich are oppressing the poor. The lyrics were written by Bobby Bare and performed by several singers including Johnny Cash and Tom T. Hall.

The first strange town I was ever in

The county was hanging a man
Nobody cared if he lived or died

And I just didn't understand.

So I washed my face in the morning dew, Bathed my soul in the sun,
Washed my face in the morning dew And kept on moving along.

The second strange town that I was in

They were laughin' at a poor crippled man
Begging for nickels and dimes on the street

And I just didn't understand.

So I washed my face in the morning dew, Bathed my soul in the sun,
Washed my face in the morning dew And kept on moving along.

The third strange town that I was in

Was settled peaceful and nice
The rich got richer and the poor got poorer

And to me it didn't seem right

So I washed my face in the morning dew, Bathed my soul in the sun,
Washed my face in the morning dew And kept on moving along.

Someday times are bound to change

It can't be very far
And each injustice I have seen

Will come before the bar.

So I washed my face in the morning dew, Bathed my soul in the sun,
Washed my face in the morning dew And kept on moving along.

These words seem to be a modern embodiment of the cries of the Old Testament prophets, from Amos to Isaiah to Jeremiah. When the Old Testament prophets saw the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, they did not say, “To me it just doesn’t seem right.” Instead they proclaimed that God hated this kind of oppression and that he would punish Israel and Judah for it by allowing military empires to conquer them. The prophets, like the singers, also believed that God would pass His judgment on the oppressors (the injustices would “come before the bar,” or judgment seat). And these “strange towns” are not so strange after all; they are the cities we all live in, and we see these injustices as being normal, not strange.

Are there any popular songs today that call for an end to oppression? I do not follow popular music. Feel free to post a comment about examples you may know about.