Just listened to Iggy's outstanding radio programme on Sunday afternoon on BBC Six for Music where he selected this song and outlined a horrific story from Brown's youth related to white men blindfolding black youths and making them fight each other for their entertainment. These Battle Royals are very well documented by writers such as Ralph Ellison and Adrian Matejka amongst others. Here's Brown's account.
"In a battle royal they blindfold you, tie one hand behind your back, out a boxing glove on your free hand, and shove you into a ring with five other kids in the same condition. You swing at anything that moves. I'd be out there stumbling around, swinging around, swinging wild, and hearing people laughing. I didn't know I was being exploited."
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