Soulsville

Black man, born free

At least that's the way it's supposed to be

The chains that binds him are hard to see

Unless you take this walk with me

Place where he lives got plenty of names

Slums, ghetto and black belt

They are one and the same

And I call it Soulsville

Any kind of job is hard to find

That means an increase in the welfare lines

The crime rate is rising too

If you were hungry what would you do?

Rent is two months past due

On a building that's falling apart

Little boy needs a pair of shoes

This is only a part of Soulsville

Some of the brothers got plenty of cash

The tricks on the corner, gonna see to that

Some like to smoke and some like to blow

Some are even strung out on a fifty dollar Jones

Some are trying to ditch reality by getting so high

Only to find out you can never touch the sky

'Cause your roots are in Soulsville, oh, yeah

Every Sunday morning

I can hear the sisters sayin'

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Trust in the Lord to make a way, oh yeah

I hope that He hears their prayers

'Cause deep in their souls they believe

One day He'll put an end to all this misery

That they have here in Soulsville

Soulsville, Soulsville, Soulsville