Sister Rosetta:
Godmother of rock’n’roll,
The original sister of soul,
All our music was in her.
She brought rhythm
From the darkness into the light,
She brought the good word to the night
To save all us sinners.

Rosetta rolled her eyes when she played.
She knew that strange things happen every day,
And that the white boy hype would eventually fade,
But the way that she played would remain.

New York City:
It was 1938,
The radio couldn’t wait
For Rosetta to rock it.
Instant sensation!
And little Elvis, Chuck and Johnny at home
Heard her on the gramophone,
And they wouldn’t forget it.

Rosetta's in the Hall Of Fame.

Don’t let her be forgotten in a church in Arkansas –
Remember her teaching the Cotton Club the glory of the Lord.
Don’t let her be forgotten, Rosetta deserves more –
Remember her teaching a nation on a train platform in England, in 1964.

Sister Rosetta:
Saw the bright lights fade away,
She saw out the last of her days
In the suburbs of Philly.
Down by the river,
She still heard music in the air,
Up above her head and everywhere,
On a train bound for Glory.