Verse 1
I remember now:
The color of the void is the color of my people
The color of the clouds, always out of reach
From the dirt I look upward

I thought the power of the light could satisfy
Could erase all the history
Spent my whole life showing how safe I was
I’d been tearing myself from the arms of love

But time after time, line after line
Trying to zip my lips so that I can be inclined
To ride the coattails of privilege and try to get ahead
To show I was a good boy

The only thing Black about me was my skin
I’d forsaken my family and Blackity Black friends
Now I’m reaching out and I'll reach within
And try to get back to my Black confidence

Chorus
You don’t have to prove yourself
You don’t have to show your wealth
You don’t have to switch it up and lose yourself

You don’t have to give up
You just have to live it up
No matter what they say
Keep on being Black, AY!


Verse 2
I can’t believe I didn’t see the bigger image in front of me
I could’ve sworn that if I died to self I’d be accepted here
All that I’d hoped to gain, all that I’d hoped to win
Hoping that I’d climb the ladder and matter more to the powers that be.

The white saviors. All wanting favors. Dance little monkey. You don’t make enough to be my neighbor.
I’ve always known color, ever since I was a baby
When was the moment it became unsafe for people like me? Huh?

When was the moment when I’d gone from cute to scary?
Miles will go through the same thing, just trust me
It doesn’t matter your ethnicity, your race, your family history, one drop is all it took
But I’m finally proud to be Black.

Verse 3
It’s always been around, you just couldn’t see it
It’s always been in plain sight, you just won’t believe it
You probably don’t even shake when you hear the sirens
Even though you did nothing to feel the heat behind you

Some would say that I’ve come from a long line of servants
Long line of "yes ma’am, no ma’am" just smiling on the surface
Get the scraps or get the strap, we’re just surviving
Just to work and work again, just to sit and be silent

All these parents going to school board meetings to show their privilege
To take the story back and rewrite history for their benefit
All these years of suffering as the result of slavery
The songs that were written were the songs that made me

The sound of chains turning into shouts of praise
Raising my prayers of lament until my pain’s erased
If you can’t understand why we keep pushing through the dark
Stop trying to change the narrative or change who we really are 'cause Black is beautiful.

Chorus