Black man, born free
At least that's the way it's supposed to be
Chains that bind him are hard to see
Unless you take this walk with me
Place where he lives, it's got plenty of names
Slum, Ghetto and Black belt
And they're one and the same
And I call it Soulsville
Soulsville
Any kind of job is hard to find
That means an increase in the welfare line
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
And this is only a part of life in Soulsville
Soulsville
Some of the brothers got plenty of cash
Tricks on the corner gonna see to that
Some like to smoke and some like to blow
Some are even strung out on a $50 Jones
Some are trying to ditch reality
By getting so high, only to find out
You can never reach the sky
When your roots are in Soulsville
Soulsville
Every Sunday morning
You can hear the sisters sing
"Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Trust in the Lord to make a way, oh"
I hope that He hears their prayers
Because deep in their souls they believe
That one day He'll put an end
To all the misery that we have in Soulsville
Soulsville
Soulsville
Soulsville
Soulsville
Soulsville
Soulsville