I Must Be
I must be strong because the blood, sweat, and tears of my ancestors
Were dripped into my veins
And those that made those that made those that made me
Survived the most brutal attacks on humanity
And the vilest offense to our God
And they laid down rich soil and sod
And planted a tree of life and love
With roots so thick and long
I have no choice, but to be strong.
I must be free not because of the Emancipation Proclamation
But because my mother carried me for nine long months
And labored for hours to ensure that
THIS body would be governed by none other than THIS heart
And the only words that I would allow to play a part
In how I think about myself and my people
Would be words of truth and justice
Because without those, there can be no freedom
And I was not born with whip marks on my back
Or shackles on my feet
I have no choice, but to be free.
I must be compassionate because I am connected
To every other human being
If nothing more than by six degrees of separation
And if I can do anything to relieve the suffering of another
If I can promise to be a TRUE keeper of my brother
Then my life will not be in vain
Nor will my world be so insane
Because the actions of those who fight on the side of evil
Will have to face the army of good, with me in it
I have no choice, but to be compassionate.
I must be good because I was born with an internal compass
And since I took my first breath
I knew the difference between right and wrong
And even though I'll be tempted to get on the wrong path and stay with it
Because the devil shows me how easily I could get away with it
I know that one day I'll have to pay for it
And that's not something I'm willing to do
Despite all the things I want to do, I know exactly what I should
And when faced with difficult decisions
I have no choice, but to be good.
I must be brave because life is not something to hide from
And never something that was died from
I must be brave to ask questions to learn the things I do not know
To do things I normally wouldn't so that my spirit can grow
To love others even when my own heart has been broken
And to be honest because light shines only when the truth is spoken
Because this mission called life will never be easy
I will face my fears, and though shakin in my boots, I will not cave
I have no choice, but to be brave.
I must be intellectual because I want to be respected for my mind
And when the world starts paying dues
I want to collect on my thoughts and be a billionaire
And let my son be a true and honest heir
To the kingdom of the intellectually wealthy
The mentally healthy
And thinkers who are so stealthy
They will never be caught by the clans of stupidity
I will need my mind to fall back on when I'm wounded in the spiritual
I have no choice, but to be intellectual.
I must be mature because I've been through the growing pains
And it's time to retire my childish ways and thoughts
I don't have to be loud for you to hear me
Or throw tantrums to get my way
I don't even need to use curse words
For you to know what I'm gonna say
I don't have to ask how much it costs
Because I know what I'm willing to pay
You don't have to tell me how much gold I'm worth
Because I know how much I weigh
The world is overflowing with children and babies
Though their hearts are kind and pure
I had my turn at childhood and now
I have no choice, but to be mature.
I must be truthful and refuse to accept the lies
And when they tell me I will fall
I will remind them I am strong.
When they tell me that I am not going anywhere
I will remind them I am free.
When they tell me to take my success and run
I will remind them I am compassionate.
When they tell me to go left instead of right
I will remind them I am good.
When they tell me to duck down in fear
I will remind them I am brave.
When they tell me that they know more than I
I will remind them I am intellectual.
When they tell me I am too young
I will remind them I am mature.
When they tell me their deceitful lies
I will look them straight in the eyes
And tell them
I am a child of God, and I've got proof
I have no choice, but to know the truth.
(Inspiration: And fantasy it was, for we were not strong, only aggressive; we were not free, merely licensed; we were not compassionate, we were polite; not good, but well behaved. We courted death in order to call ourselves brave, and hid like thieves from life. We substituted good grammar for intellect; we switched habits to simulate maturity; we rearranged lies and called it truth... -Toni Morrison "The Bluest Eye")
Were dripped into my veins
And those that made those that made those that made me
Survived the most brutal attacks on humanity
And the vilest offense to our God
And they laid down rich soil and sod
And planted a tree of life and love
With roots so thick and long
I have no choice, but to be strong.
I must be free not because of the Emancipation Proclamation
But because my mother carried me for nine long months
And labored for hours to ensure that
THIS body would be governed by none other than THIS heart
And the only words that I would allow to play a part
In how I think about myself and my people
Would be words of truth and justice
Because without those, there can be no freedom
And I was not born with whip marks on my back
Or shackles on my feet
I have no choice, but to be free.
I must be compassionate because I am connected
To every other human being
If nothing more than by six degrees of separation
And if I can do anything to relieve the suffering of another
If I can promise to be a TRUE keeper of my brother
Then my life will not be in vain
Nor will my world be so insane
Because the actions of those who fight on the side of evil
Will have to face the army of good, with me in it
I have no choice, but to be compassionate.
I must be good because I was born with an internal compass
And since I took my first breath
I knew the difference between right and wrong
And even though I'll be tempted to get on the wrong path and stay with it
Because the devil shows me how easily I could get away with it
I know that one day I'll have to pay for it
And that's not something I'm willing to do
Despite all the things I want to do, I know exactly what I should
And when faced with difficult decisions
I have no choice, but to be good.
I must be brave because life is not something to hide from
And never something that was died from
I must be brave to ask questions to learn the things I do not know
To do things I normally wouldn't so that my spirit can grow
To love others even when my own heart has been broken
And to be honest because light shines only when the truth is spoken
Because this mission called life will never be easy
I will face my fears, and though shakin in my boots, I will not cave
I have no choice, but to be brave.
I must be intellectual because I want to be respected for my mind
And when the world starts paying dues
I want to collect on my thoughts and be a billionaire
And let my son be a true and honest heir
To the kingdom of the intellectually wealthy
The mentally healthy
And thinkers who are so stealthy
They will never be caught by the clans of stupidity
I will need my mind to fall back on when I'm wounded in the spiritual
I have no choice, but to be intellectual.
I must be mature because I've been through the growing pains
And it's time to retire my childish ways and thoughts
I don't have to be loud for you to hear me
Or throw tantrums to get my way
I don't even need to use curse words
For you to know what I'm gonna say
I don't have to ask how much it costs
Because I know what I'm willing to pay
You don't have to tell me how much gold I'm worth
Because I know how much I weigh
The world is overflowing with children and babies
Though their hearts are kind and pure
I had my turn at childhood and now
I have no choice, but to be mature.
I must be truthful and refuse to accept the lies
And when they tell me I will fall
I will remind them I am strong.
When they tell me that I am not going anywhere
I will remind them I am free.
When they tell me to take my success and run
I will remind them I am compassionate.
When they tell me to go left instead of right
I will remind them I am good.
When they tell me to duck down in fear
I will remind them I am brave.
When they tell me that they know more than I
I will remind them I am intellectual.
When they tell me I am too young
I will remind them I am mature.
When they tell me their deceitful lies
I will look them straight in the eyes
And tell them
I am a child of God, and I've got proof
I have no choice, but to know the truth.
(Inspiration: And fantasy it was, for we were not strong, only aggressive; we were not free, merely licensed; we were not compassionate, we were polite; not good, but well behaved. We courted death in order to call ourselves brave, and hid like thieves from life. We substituted good grammar for intellect; we switched habits to simulate maturity; we rearranged lies and called it truth... -Toni Morrison "The Bluest Eye")
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