[Introduction]
In the depths of Louisiana, where the cypress trees abide
A story of survival, a tale of pain inside
Gordon's journey through the swamps, a path to freedom's call
A scarred back tells the story, of slavery's cruel fall

[Verse 1]
Eighty miles of wilderness, with bloodhounds on his trail
He used onions to mask his scent, and walked through fire and hail
The Union lines near Baton Rouge, a beacon in the night
He found solace in their arms, and freedom's warm light

[Pre-Chorus]
But what they saw, would change their minds for good
A back that told a story, of slavery's savage mood
Keloid scars like a map, of pain and suffering's toll
The scourged back, a symbol, of freedom's call

[Chorus]
Oh Gordon's scarred back tells the tale
Of a life that was brutalized, and freedom's final trail
A face to put on slavery, a story to be told
The scourged back, a testament, to a freedom yet to unfold

[Verse 2]
An overseer's whip, left its mark so bold
On Christmas Day, 1862, a memory that would never grow old
Salt brine treatment, to ease the pain
But the scars remained, as a reminder of slavery's stain

[Pre-Chorus]
But what they saw, would change their minds for good
A back that told a story, of slavery's savage mood
Keloid scars like a map, of pain and suffering's toll
The scourged back, a symbol, of freedom's call

[Chorus]
Oh Gordon's scarred back tells the tale
Of a life that was brutalized, and freedom's final trail
A face to put on slavery, a story to be told
The scourged back, a testament, to a freedom yet to unfold

[Chorus]
Oh Gordon's scarred back tells the tale
Of a life that was brutalized, and freedom's final trail
A face to put on slavery, a story to be told
The scourged back, a testament, to a freedom yet to unfold

[Bridge]
Peter or Whipped Peter, his name may not be known
But his story lives on, and the struggle has been shown
That we are all connected, in this journey through time
And the scourged back, a reminder of our collective crime

[Chorus]
Oh Gordon's scarred back tells the tale
Of a life that was brutalized, and freedom's final trail
A face to put on slavery, a story to be told
The scourged back, a testament, to a freedom yet to unfold

[Chorus]
Oh Gordon's scarred back tells the tale
Of a life that was brutalized, and freedom's final trail
A face to put on slavery, a story to be told
The scourged back, a testament, to a freedom yet to unfold

[Outro]
Gordon's scarred back tells the tale
Of a life that was brutalized, and freedom's final trail
A face to put on slavery, a story to be told
The scourged back, a testament, to a freedom yet to unfold