Black and White

A man named David Arkin wrote a song in 1956 called Black & White. This song was written just a year after the Civil Rights Movement began. The song was written as a celebration of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. This was United States Supreme Court ruling that declared racial segregation of schools unconstitutional. Sammy Davis, Jr. first recorded “Black & White” in 1957. When Sammy Davis, Jr. recorded the song, the opening lyrics were:

“Their robes were black, Their heads were white,
The schoolhouse doors were closed so tight,
Nine judges all set down their names,
To end the years and years of shame.” – David Arkin

The song was re-recorded in 1971 by a reggae band named Greyhound. Just a year later, Three Dog Night, a popular band of their era, picked up the song and recorded it on their 1972 album Seven Separate Fools. We are going to listen to Three Dog Night’s recording of the song because it is the most popular recording.

Black And White

Band – Three Dog Night / words by David Arkin © 1956

The ink is black, the page is white
Together we learn to read and write
A child is black, a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight, a beautiful sight

And now a child can understand
That this is the law of all the land, all the land

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
Together they grow to see the light, to see the light

And now at last we plainly see
We'll have a dance of Liberty, Liberty!

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight, a beautiful sight

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
Together they grow to see the light, to see the light

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight, a beautiful sight

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
Together they grow to see the light, to see the light

C'mon, get it, get it
Ohh-ohhhh, yeah, yeah
Keep it up now, around the world
Little boys and little girls
Yeah, yeah-eah, oh-ohhh