I offer a tribute to the black woman and man
We might fall
But we rise again
Cause I seen my people
On many a different land
Heard my people speak
Zulu
Dutch
And French
Some was rich and some didn't have a cent
Hung out with brothas and sistahs
In huts and in skyscrappers
Sangomas and preachers
Have been my neighbors
I been from Harlem to Soweto
And everywhere I go
I see so much love
In all the black faces
Cause the color of our skin
Traces our history
Back to when we were queens and kings
And we had many things
A glorious past should never be trashed
Things fall apart
But things get rebuilt
Blood gets spilt
And then gets reborn
In a new generation of black children
With the soul of a black nation
And only only Lord know
What that child goes through
You might be black and blue
But stay proud and true
Because survival comes at a high cost
Innocence does get lost
The saints do sin
And sometimes bad does win
Cause I seen the hateful ones too
But I focus on the ones with love
Cause that's the group I'm part of
It's all part of the collective plan
Brothas and sistahs
To rise again
And it don't matter that you been down
Because by the grace of God
You still around
So rise on up
Cause we need you too
And half the struggle is just to do
But anything you got
We sure can use
You got nothing to loose
So if you give a damn
And if you black and you proud
Then you say
I am!
See we are all part of this collective plan
To rise again
Brothas and sistah
Cause if you got legs
You can still get up
If you gotta will
You don't have to give it up
If you gotta a goal
You can still live it up
And if you gotta plan
you can still rise again
Brothas and sistah
That's why I offer this tribute
To the black woman and man
We might fall
But we can rise again
So if you give a damn
And if you black and you proud
You say
I am!