A White Man's Heaven Is a Black Man's Hell

[Introduction] Why are we called Negroes? Why are we deaf, dumb, and blind? Why is everybody making progress Yet we seem to be lagging so far behind? Why are we mistreated? Why are we in this condition? Stripped of our name, our language, our culture, our God, and our religion Here in America, all of our religious training Has been gotten by the preacher He has told us of a heaven way up in the sky That we can't enjoy now, but rather after we die But all of the years that we're living For us, there's nothing but hell Pain, torture, and misgiving Yet the Bible speaks of a heaven Filled with material luxuries Which the white man and the preacher Has right here, so we see So my friend, take it for what it's worth Your heaven and your hell is right here on this earth So let's check back into history, which rewards all research And tell just plainly That before the white man gained entry to the East He was living in the caves of Europe, a ravenous beast Eating juniper roots and eating fish raw Til God sent Moses to civilize him and teach him the law Then following Marco Polo, an explorer He gained entry into Asia and Africa From China, he took silk and gunpowder From India, he took juice, manganese, and rubber He raped Africa of her diamonds and her gold From the Mideast, he took barrels of oil untold Raping, robbing, and murdering everything in his path The whole black world has tasted of the white man's wrath So my friend, it's not hard to tell A white man's heaven is a black man's hell [Verse 1] Before we came to America We were living in the East by the Nile River We were living in luxury Enjoying freedom, justice, and equality We wore silken robes, slippers of gold We were the wealthiest and the wisest people, I'm told Now we are the poorest of the poor Nobody wants us at their door So my friend, it's easy to tell White man's heaven is black man hell [Verse 2] When the white man came to America He told the Indian, "I am your white brother" He said, "Red man, I'll treat you the best" Yet and still he pushed the Indian further west With his white woman and firewater Tricks and lies, he stole America The original owner of this nation Is cooped up on a reservation So my friend, it's easy to tell White man's heaven is black man hell [Verse 3] He needed someone to work the land His back was too weak -- he needed you, black man So he commissioned Sir John Hawkins To commit the worst, most grievous sin To take a man who's born to be free And bring him down slavery Sell a man as merchandise On his body, put a price Oh my friend, it's easy to tell White man heaven is a black man hell