Black Messiah
written by Ray Davies
performed by The Kinks
from "Misfits", 1978
Everybody got the right to speak their mind
Bb F f g g# (single notes)
so don't shoot me for saying mine.
Dm/C
Everybody talking about racial equality
Dm/C
'cos everybody's equal in the good Lord's eyes.
Dm/C
But if I told you that God was black what would you think of that
I bet you wouldn't believe it.
Dm/C
There's a self made prophet living right next to me
Dm/C
he said the Black Messiah's gonna come and set the whole world free.
Dm/C
He looked at me with his evil eye and he prophesied
F C F f g g# a
and he really believed it.
He said a Black Messiah is gonna set the world on fire
and he's no liar, 'cos he has truly heard the word.
Dm/C
Everybody talking about racial equality
Dm/C
but I'm the only honky living on an all black street
Dm/C
they knock me down 'cos they brown and I white.
Everybody got the right to speak their mind
Bb F f g g#
so don't shoot me for saying mine.
Dm/C
Dm/C
Dm/C
Everybody talking about racial equality
Dm/C
you hear everybody talking about equal rights.
Dm/C
But white's white, black's black and that's that
F C F f g g# a
and that's the way you should leave it.
Don't want no Black Messiah to come and set the world on fire
a Black Messiah is gonna come and rule the world
Dm/C
Everybody got to show a little give and take
Dm/C
Everybody got to live with a little less hate
Dm/C
Everybody gotta work it out, we gotta sort it out.
Everybody got the right to speak their mind
so don't shoot me for saying mine.
--
pjoe@charon.muc.de