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