"We thought I was going to be a great athlete, and we were wrong, and I thought I was going to be a great entertainer, and that wasn't it either. I'm going to be an American Citizen. First Class."
~~Dick Gregory
My ancestors came here
From a land far away
It was here I was born
In the grand USA
.
Land of the free and home of the brave
This is what they always say
.
But for my kind its different
For us with darker skin
We must fight for out freedom
And pray that we win
.
Land of the free and home of the brave
This is what they always say
.
Though we grew up 3rd class
I still looked towards the sky
I started running for the school
Faster and faster, until my soul could fly
.
Land of the free and home of the brave
This is what they always say
.
I ran all through college
We thought I was going to be a great athlete
But after I graduated
It was the field of comedy that I started to compete
.
Land of the free and home of the brave
This is what they always say
.
Through my comedy routine I spread the message
About poverty and segregation
I became active in the Civil Rights Movement
To stop racial discrimination
.
Land of the free and home of the brave
This is what they always say
.
These acts of Civil Rights
Sparked a fire in my soul
I quite 2nd class comedy
And went to the polls
.
Land of the free and home of the brave
This is what they always say
.
In the 1970's I widened my political interests
Now I help groups of people large in mass
I became an American Citizen
First Class
.
Land of the free and home of the brave
This is now what I always say