Eddie Klepp (Klep) was the first white ballplayer to play in the Negro Leagues.
lyrics
The war had finally ended and America had changed
It had beaten back the nazis but the Jim Crow laws remained
There was talk of staging marches & talk of civil rights
There was talk about a Negro playing baseball with the Whites
He walked into the clubhouse and the card players quit playing
Everybody stopped in the middle of whatever they were saying
It was just like when the sheriff walks into the saloon
He said, “My name is Eddie,” as he looked around the room
“This man’s here to play baseball,” the manager said to the team
“We’re all gonna have to live with this...aw, that’s not what I mean...
You know what I mean” - and they all did...it went without saying
The card players looked at their hands and they went on with their playing
They ran him off the field before a game in Birmingham one night
Made him sit up in the grandstand in the section marked “For Whites”
In his Cleveland Buckeyes uniform, it was a new twist on the law
The marshals kept their eyes on him and the hecklers ate him raw
Eddie Klep, he should’ve run the bases in reverse
A White man in the Negro Leagues, that had to be a first
He could not ride the same busses, or stay in the same motels
He could not eat in the same restaurants, you couldn’t have mixed clientele
So while Jackie played for Brooklyn and wore the Dodger Blue
Eddie crossed the color line, the one without a queue
A White man in the Negro Leagues, might as well have been a Jew
Now you mention the name of Eddie Klep and most everyone says, “Who?”
credits
from The Baseball Ballads,
released May 20, 2002
Chuck Brodsky - vocal, guitar
Jenny Hirsch - acoustic bass
Dave Anthony - drums
David Hamburger - slide guitar
Brandon Bush - Hammond B3
supported by 4 fans who also own “Ballad Of Eddie Klepp”
I like the way Tracy tells a story with her songs. Some of these were from a project called Real Women, Real Songs on YouTube. I like how they sound with additional instrumentation and voices. kdughi
supported by 4 fans who also own “Ballad Of Eddie Klepp”
The song Shelli speaks to my heart, the story just tears me down and the voice builds me back up. A beautiful album which encapsulates SIAD!!! coachshipley
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