southern trees bearing strange fruit blood at the leaves and blood at the root black bodies swinging in the southern breeze strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees pastoral scene of the gallant south and the bulging eyes and the twisted mouth the scent of magnolia sweet and fresh and the sudden smell of burning flesh 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 trees to rot here is a strange and bitter crop