"Strange Fruit," written by Jewish schoolteacher Abel Meeropol in 1937, takes a harrowing and unflinching look at American racism. The poem specifically focuses on the horrific lynchings that took place primarily across the American South, in which black individuals were brutally tortured and murdered—and often strung up from trees to be gawked at—by white supremacists. The "strange fruit" of the poem's title refers to these lynching victims, the gruesome image of "black bodies" hanging from "southern trees" serving as a stark reminder of humanity's potential for violence as well as the staggering cost of prejudice and hate. The poem became most famous as a song performed by Billie Holiday in 1939 and played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement. It has been covered by many artists since, including Nina Simone.

• Read the full text of “Strange Fruit”

• “Strange Fruit” Summary

• “Strange Fruit” Themes

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    The Horror and Inhumanity of American Racism

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-12

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Strange Fruit”

  • Lines 1-2

    Southern trees bear ...
    ... at the root,

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 3-4

    Black bodies swinging ...
    ... the poplar trees.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 5-8

    Pastoral scene of ...
    ... of burning flesh.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 9-11

    Here is fruit ...
    ... trees to drop,

    

    

    

    

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  • Line 12

    Here is a ... and bitter crop.

    

    

    

    

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• “Strange Fruit” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “S,” “s”
    • Line 2: “Bl,” “bl”
    • Line 3: “B,” “l,” “b,” “s,” “s,” “b”
    • Line 4: “S”
    • Line 5: “s,” “s”
    • Line 7: “S,” “s”
    • Line 8: “Th,” “th,” “s,” “s”
    • Line 9: “f,” “f”
    • Line 10: “F,” “f,” “s”
    • Line 11: “F,” “s,” “t,” “f,” “t”
    • Line 12: “s”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “ee”
    • Line 2: “ea”
    • Line 3: “ie,” “i,” “i,” “i,” “ee”
    • Line 4: “a,” “a,” “ee”
    • Line 5: “e”
    • Line 7: “e,” “e”
    • Line 8: “e,” “e,” “e,” “e”
    • Line 9: “u”
    • Line 10: “u”
    • Line 11: “u,” “o,” “o”
    • Line 12: “o”

  • Caesura

    

    

    

    

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    Where caesura appears in the poem:

    • Line 7: “magnolias, sweet”
    • Line 10: “gather, for”
    • Line 11: “rot, for”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “S,” “r,” “tr,” “s,” “r,” “s,” “t,” “r,” “t”
    • Line 2: “Bl,” “d,” “l,” “d,” “bl,” “d,” “t,” “t”
    • Line 3: “Bl,” “b,” “s,” “s,” “ng,” “ng,” “n,” “th,” “s,” “th,” “n,” “b,” “r,” “z”
    • Line 4: “S,” “tr,” “r,” “t,” “r,” “tr”
    • Line 5: “st,” “l,” “sc,” “th,” “ll,” “s,” “th”
    • Line 6: “Th,” “s,” “th,” “t,” “st,” “m,” “th”
    • Line 7: “Sc,” “nt,” “m,” “s,” “s,” “t”
    • Line 8: “Th,” “th,” “s,” “n,” “s,” “m,” “n”
    • Line 9: “r,” “f,” “r,” “f,” “r,” “c,” “r,” “ck”
    • Line 10: “r,” “th,” “r,” “th,” “r,” “r,” “th,” “ck”
    • Line 11: “r,” “t,” “r,” “t,” “t,” “r,” “s,” “t,” “r”
    • Line 12: “r,” “s,” “tr,” “tt,” “r,” “r”

  • Extended Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where extended metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-12

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Line 1
    • Line 2
    • Lines 3-4
    • Lines 5-8
    • Line 9
    • Lines 9-11
    • Line 12

  • Juxtaposition

    

    

    

    

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    Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:

• “Strange Fruit” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Southern
  • Poplar Trees
  • Pastoral
  • Gallant
  • Magnolias
  • (Location in poem: Line 1: “Southern”; Line 3: “southern”; Line 5: “south”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Strange Fruit”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Strange Fruit” Speaker

• “Strange Fruit” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Strange Fruit”

• More “Strange Fruit” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" — Listen to Holiday's famous sung version of the poem.

    • The History of Holiday's Version — A fascinating article about Billie Holiday's relationship with Meeropol's poem.

    • Lynching in America — A valuable resource that looks at the history of lynching and racial hatred in the United States. 

    • Meeropol's Inspiration — This is the (graphic and disturbing)  photograph of the lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith in 1930 that inspired the composition of the poem.  

    • "The House I Live In" — Meeropol wrote the lyrics to the closing song from a short 1946 film of the same title, which focused on anti-Semitism in post-war America. The song is sung by Frank Sinatra in the film.

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