That's the Way That It Is

Graham Bonnet, 1981

I've been thinking about

What she said last night

And for all your fine words

You still don't have it right

'Cause that's the way that it is

And you won't ever change it

You can scream at me but the powers that be

Won't ever hear your voice

'Cause they're lost in their own importance

No, they'll never hear your voice

'Cause that's the way that it is

And you won't ever change it

Yes that's the way that it is

And you won't ever change it

I've heard all your stories

Of how the few can be strong

And how you'll fight to the end

Just to prove me wrong

'Cause that's the way that you are

Guess you'll never change

But don't come cryin' to me

If your fanciful schemes don't turn out like you planned

'Cause you're chasing after something

That keeps slipping through your hand

'Cause that's the way that it is

And you won't ever change it

Yes that's the way that it is

And you won't ever change it

'Cause that's the way that it is

And you won't ever change it

Yes that's the way that it is

And you won't ever change it

Liar

How Does It Go with the Black Movement?

Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.

Guests: Huey P. Newton, Lanny Sinkin, Patricia Holland, Gary Mounce

Episode S0080, Recorded on 23 January 1973

Huey P. Newton, Ishmael Reed & Jawanza Kunjufu On Racism Again Black Men (1988)

2Pac - Changes ft. Talent

Ooh, yeah (Ooh)

(Come on, come on)

I see no changes, wake up in the morning and I ask myself

Is life worth livin'? Should I blast myself?

I'm tired of bein' poor and, even worse, I'm black

My stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch

Cops give a damn about a negro

Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero

Give the crack to the kids, who the hell cares?

One less hungry mouth on the welfare

First ship 'em dope and let 'em deal to brothers

Give 'em guns, step back, watch 'em kill each other

"It's time to fight back, " that's what Huey said

Two shots in the dark, now Huey's dead

I got love for my brother

But we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other

We gotta start makin' changes

Learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers

And that's how it's supposed to be

How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me? Uh

I'd love to go back to when we played as kids

But things change, and that's the way it is

That's just the way it is (Changes)

Things'll never be the same

That's just the way it is (That's the way it is, what?)

Aww, yeah-yeah (Hear me)

(Oh my, oh my, come on, come on)

That's just the way it is (That's just the way it is, the way it is)

Things'll never be the same

(Never be the same, yeah, yeah, yeah, aww, yeah)

That's just the way it is (Way it is)

Aww, yeah (Come on, come on)

I see no changes, all I see is racist faces

Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races

We under, I wonder what it takes to make this

One better place, let's erase the wasted

Take the evil out the people, they'll be actin' right

'Cause both black and white are smokin' crack tonight

And the only time we chill is when we kill each other (Kill each other)

It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other

And although it seems heaven-sent

We ain't ready to see a black president, uh (Oh-ooh)

It ain't a secret, don't conceal the fact

The penitentiary's packed and it's filled with blacks

But some things will never change (Never Change)

Try to show another way, but you stayin' in the dope game (Ooh)

Now tell me, what's a mother to do?

Bein' real don't appeal to the brother in you (Yeah)

You gotta operate the easy way

"I made a G today, " but you made it in a sleazy way

Sellin' crack to the kids (Oh-oh), "I gotta get paid" (Oh)

Well hey, well that's the way it is

That's just the way it is (Changes)

Things'll never be the same

That's just the way it is (That's the way it is, what?)

Aww, yeah (Hear me)

(Oh my, oh my, come on, come on)

That's just the way it is (That's just the way it is, the way it is)

Things'll never be the same

(Never be the same, yeah, yeah, yeah, aww, yeah)

That's just the way it is (Way it is)

Aww, yeah (Aww, yeah, aww, yeah)

We gotta make a change

It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes

Let's change the way we eat

Let's change the way we live

And let's change the way we treat each other

You see, the old way wasn't workin'

So it's on us to do what we gotta do to survive

And still I see no changes, can't a brother get a little peace?

It's war on the streets and the war in the Middle East (Ooh, yeah)

Instead of war on poverty

They got a war on drugs so the police can bother me

And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do

But now I'm back with the facts, givin' it back to you (Ooh)

Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up

Crack you up and pimp-smack you up

You gotta learn to hold your own

They get jealous when they see you with your mobile phone

But tell the cops they can't touch this

I don't trust this, when they try to rush, I bust this

That's the sound of my tool, you say it ain't cool

My mama didn't raise no fool (Oh)

And as long as I stay black, I gotta stay strapped

And I never get to lay back

'Cause I always got to worry 'bout the payback

Some buck that I roughed up way back

Comin' back after all these years

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat, " that's the way it is, uh

That's just the way it is (Just the way it is, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Things'll never be the same (Yeah)

That's just the way it is (The way it is)

Aww, yeah (Some things will never change, oh my)

(I'm tryna make a change)

(You're my brother, you're my sister, yeah)

That's just the way it is (The way it is, the way it is)

Things'll never be the same (You're my brother, you're my sister)

That's just the way it is, aww, yeah

Some things will never change

Songwriters: Tupac Shakur / Bruce Hornsby / Dion Evens

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