Haha

Talking 'bout me leaving America

You got ta be crazy

Man, I like all the nice things, Jack

Continental suits and things

Looka here

Now, I'm sorry for the man

Who don't love this land

Now black and white, they may fight, ha

But if the enemy come

We'll get together and run 'em out of sight

Now looka here

The sun don't come out in rainy weather

But when you boil it down, they are still together

Now let's not overlook the fact that we are, we are still in reach

You got s chance to make it and you got a freedom of speech

Say what you wanna, tell 'em how you feel

There may be a lot of places, a lot of places that you like to go

But believe me, if you get an education you can blow

You can hardly blow

Now dig this

Now you tell me if I'm wrong

America is still the best country

And that's without a doubt

America is still the best country without a doubt

And if anybody says it ain't, you just try to put him out

They ain't going nowhere, you got a good fight

When I tell you one time that I was a shoeshine boy

Every word I said, I meant

But name me any other country

You can start as a shoeshine boy

And shake hands with the president

It ain't gonna help, you got to have that royal blood to make it

And I ain't got nothing royal but me, soul

I can't take the chances, I'm gonna stay home

Now looka here

I got a brand new jet

When I need to move, ha

A soul brother made it

Now it ain't that a groove

So looka here

Brothers and sisters and friends, dig this

So quit your dreaming all night

Stop beatin' yourself and get up and fight

Don't give up, you might give up, but just don't give out

I know if you give out don't give up

Just don't quit going, I mean like keep it moving, you know

'Cause if you stop like a ball quit rolling

Now, we got tours that carry us from Florida to Rome

But you know there's one thing we'll never forget

America's still our home

Hit it, band

God bless America

I'm talking about me, too, you know I'm American myself

I like that kind of thing

Looka here

In Augusta, Georgia, my hometown, you know

On the auditorium steps where I used to shine shoes

Now, I go there, Jack, fill up the joint

Don't sing a thing but Rhythm & Blues

You see, I kept the faith

Because I believed that I could succeed

And now I'm a proud member of the brand new breed

You can make it, Jack, if you try

Like a good friend of mine, Gene Allison, said

If you make it—you can make it if you try

Just keep on pushin', Jack, like Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions

Don't give up

Now dig this

Quit dreaming all night and stop pitying yourself

Don't sit back, get up and fight

See, a cat can make it if he get up and try to do something

Don't worry about them handouts, go out there and earn it yourself

Don't be telling a cat to give you nothing, be a man

Just like I said before, this is a man's world

I didn't have nothing, I had to go out and get it

But thanks to all you people because you made me what I am

But I showed some initiative

You seen that I was trying to do something, I was trying to be a man

And when a cat is trying to make it, you've gotta give him a hand

A cat that's not trying to make it, don't be holding other people back

Get out the way and let somebody else make it

But be ready

That's why I want the kids to stay in school and get a good education

So you'll know what you're talking about

You don't have to say what I think and scratch your head

And go through that routine, don't go through that thing

Know what you're talking about

Turn your back and say, "I know I'm right"

You know, that's the way I feel

When I hear that fan standing in the party singing and dancing

I may not be the best, but I know I know what I'm doing at that time

I don't have to ask nobody if I'm doing the right thing

'Cause I know I'm trying to entertain the people

Because they come to see the show

And that's what I wanna give 'em, a show

Now remember this, all right

Now, the band, myself, The Flames, the dancers, a whole entourage of people

We got tours from Florida to Rome

But we won't forget one thing, ha:

The United States of America is still our home

Now hit it one more time, band

You hear that?

Don't send me no other place, I don't know nothin'

Talking about my home, just give me some Georgia, some Alabama

Some Mississippi, some New York, and some California

Some Texas and some North Carolina, some South Carolina and Virginia

Some Illinois and some West Virginia, some Dakota—South Dakota, North Dakota

See, I can name all these different places now

If I leave anybody out, don't get mad because I, you know

Just a cat trying to keep it going—some Ohio, too, yeah

Some Indiana, Michigan, yeah, I'm coming pretty good

Kentucky, Tennessee, I'll get it together, you know

Just give me a little time

Y'all can take it out when you get ready, brothers

I done said what I had to say

(Hey! Don't forget Washington, D.C.!)