An alchemy, human alchemy We stole them from their freedom to be sold To turn their skins of black into the skins Of brightest gold An alchemy, human alchemy We stoked the fires of trade with human coals And made our purses from the flailed skins of Purest souls An alchemy, human alchemy Other lands became a larder Full of all the good things All we had to do was go and take Blood the colour rain That grew our wicked harvest Black the colour icing on our cake An alchemy, human alchemy We stole their babes and mothers, chiefs and braves Although we held the whip, you knew we were The real slaves To alchemy, human alchemy Alchemy, human alchemy