Smokey Robinson - A Black American lyrics

I love being Black I love being called Black I love being an American I love being a Black American But as a Black man in this country I think it's a shame That every few years we get a change of name Since those first ships arrived here from Africa that came across the sea There were already Black men in this country who were free And as for those who came over on those terrible boats They were called "n***a" and "slave" And told what to do and how to behave And then master started trippin' Doing his midnight tippin', down to the slave shacks Where he forced he and Great-Great Grandma to be together And if Great-Great Grandpa protested, he got tarred and feathered And at the same time, the Black men in the country who were free Were mating with the tribes like the Apache and the Cherokee And as a result of all that, we're a parade of every shade And as this late day and age, you can be sure They're ain't too many of us in this country whose bloodline is pure But, according to a geological, geographical, genealogy study published in Time Magazine The Black African people were the first on the scene So for what it's worth, the Black African people were the first on earth And through migration, our characteristics started to change and rearrange To adapt to whatever climate we migrated to And that's how I became me, and you became you So, if we gonna go back, let's go all the way back And if Adam was Black and Eve was Black Then that kind of makes it a natural fact that everybody in America's an African American Everybody in Europe is an African European Everybody in the Orient is an African Asian and so on and so on That is, if the origin of man is what we're gonna go on And if one drop of Black blood makes you Black like they say Then everybody's Black anyway So quit trying to change my identity I'm already who I was meant to be I'm a Black American, born and raised And brother James Brown wrote a wonderful phrase “Say it loud, I'm Black and I'm proud! Say it loud, I'm Black and I'm proud!” 'Cause I'm proud to be Black and I ain't never lived in Africa And 'cause my Great-Great Granddaddy on my Daddy's side did Don't mean I want to go back Now I have nothing against Africa It's where some of the most beautiful places and people in the world are found But I've been blessed to go a lot of places in this world And if you ask me where I choose to live, I pick America, hands down Now, by and by, we were called Negroes, and after while, that name was banished Anyway, Negro is just how you say ‘black' in Spanish Then, we were called colored, but sh**, everybody's one color or another And I think it's a shame that we hold that against each other And it seems like we reverted back to a time when being called Black was an insult Even if it was another Black man who said it, a fight would result 'Cause we'd been so brainwashed that Black was wrong 'Til even the yellow n***as and black n***as couldn't get along But then, came the 1960's When we struggled and died to be called equal and Black And we walked with pride with our heads held high and our shoulders pushed back And Black was beautiful But, I guess that wasn't good enough 'Cause now here they come with some other stuff Who comes up with this sh** anyway? Was it one, or a group of n***as just sitting around one day? Feelin' a little insecure again about being called Black and decided that African American sounded a little more exotic Well, I think you were being a little more neurotic It's that same mentality that got “Amos and Andy” put off the air, 'cause they were embarra**ed about the way the character's spoke And as a result of that action, a lot of wonderful Black actors ended up broke When we were just laughin' and have fun about ourselves So I say, “f** you if you can't take a joke.” You didn't see "The Beverly Hillbillies” being protested by white folks And if you think, that cause you think, that being called African American sets all Black people's minds at ease Since we affectionately call each other “n***a”, I affectionately say to you “n***a please” How come I didn't get the chance to vote on who I'd like to be? Who gave you the right to make that decision for me? I ain't under your rule or in your dominion And I am entitled to my own opinion Now there are some African Americans here, But they recently moved here from places like Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Zaire But, not a brother whose family has lived in the country for generations Occupying space in all the locations New York, Miami, L.A., Detroit, Chicago Even if he's wearing a dashiki and sporting an afro And, if you go to Africa in search of your race You'll find out quick, you're not an African American You're just a Black American in Africa, takin' up space Why you keep trying to attach yourself to a continent Where even if you got the chance to go and you went Most people there would even claim you as one of them As a pure bred daughter or son of them Your heritage is right here now No matter what you call yourself or what you say And a lot of people died to make it that way And if you think America is a leader on inequality and suffering and grievin' How come there so many people comin' and so few leavin'? Rather than all this ‘find fault with America' sh** you promotin' If you want to change something, use your privilege Get to the polls! Commence to votin' God knows we've earned the right to be called American Americans and be free at last And rather than you movin' forward progress, you're dwelling in the past We've struggled too long; we've come too far Instead of focusing on who we were, let's be proud of who we are We are the only people whose name is always a trend When is this sh** gonna end? Look at all the different colors of our skin Black is not our color, it's our core It's what we been livin' and fightin' and dyin' for But if you choose to be called African American and that's your preference, Then I'll give you that reference But I know on this issue I don't stand alone on my own And if I do, then let me be me And I'd appreciate it if when you see me, you'd say “There goes a man who says it loud I'm Black. I'm Black. I'm a Black American, and I'm proud." Cause I love being an American And I love being Black I love being called Black Yeah, I said it And I don't take it back