Matthew Clark III - Acting White lyrics

Chorus: U Better Sing! children's choir I get made fun of cause the clothes I wear, They say, "Blacks over here, you stand over there" I get made fun of cause I talk polite They say I'm Acting White, cause we act nothing alike, alike Verse 1: Young, gifted, and Black Never lived a day in the hood Parents said I never would, have to hear sirens Or fear police violence, but those views were silenced How wrong they could've been Got my first lesson at the age of 10. Issued a D.W.B., they call it Driving While Black Who's they? The Popo, wasn't riding in a Cadillac Me and my friends were on a Mongoose trail Pokey looking like they wanna toss this young Black male in a cell Suddenly, they think I'm in a gang you see Asking, "Boy you lost?" When I live down the street They clowning me, surrounding me, hounding me As if I'm a delinquent to be. Not knowing I'm an A student Never in my life made a B, and my mama got a college degree But somehow, their views, I can't shake em off of me All because my skin's darker That don't mean my hearts darker, they're trying to steal my sparkle. Chorus: U Better Sing! children's choir I get made fun of cause the clothes I wear, They say, "Blacks over here, you stand over there" I get made fun of cause I talk polite They say I'm Acting White, cause we act nothing alike, alike Verse 2: "Boy you lost." Words my best friend would repeat At the age of 16, wanted me to do as I had seen In music videos, they were rocking throwbacks back then I was wearing Polo sweaters like I was going golfing Heard coughing in the back, his white girlfriend agreed Asking me, "What my problem be!" The question was confusing, I didn't know how to reply Then I said, there's no problems, I feel just fine They looked at me and sighed, guess they thought I was hopeless Wanted me to lose focus, but what's the cost of fitting in? I'd be lost just like them Thinking being Black, meant that I could never truly accomplish Guess they overlooked Martin Luther King, Booker T., W.E.B. Dubois And all those who had dreamed, To be Black and successful is all I wanted to be My mama planted seeds in me, now they're sprouting a tree. Chorus: U Better Sing! children's choir I get made fun of cause the clothes I wear, They say, "Blacks over here, you stand over there" I get made fun of cause I talk polite They say I'm Acting White, cause we act nothing alike, alike Verse 3: Everyday the clerk follows me around, As if I might steal, but when I need help He's nowhere to be found I just laugh at the irony, But inside, him thinking I'm a criminal kind of bothers me It's not as if I don't know my father I read the Bible like a dedicated scholar Still with Black kids, they'd rather scold em But I'm chasing success with no stalling. Chorus: U Better Sing! children's choir Change from the heart starts in the mind. Love is colorblind. Lets show love to all mankind. What we think brings us together chains us down. Instead of calling each other Let's take off the shackles now. Chorus: U Better Sing! children's choir I get made fun of cause the clothes I wear, They say, "Blacks over here, you stand over there" I get made fun of cause I talk polite They say I'm Acting White, cause we act nothing alike, alike