How much further have we gotten did you say?
200 years ago we still had slavery and a yellow plague.
100 years ago we had our boys in the mines while their wives and children were starving
and 40 years ago it took the national guard to let the black kids in public schools

and you don't think we got it so bad no more,
you don't think we got it bad today.

the greatest nation in the world, as you say, has been at war since I can't remember
and miners black lung has been replaced by cancer
it takes everyone away
well the blacks and whites don't trust each other, you can call it paranoia
or affirmative action's reverse psychology
that's what it seems like to me

when the bosses found out we won't take it lying down,
they packed up their factories and moved to Mexico,
took all the jobs to Mexico.

and you don't think we got it so bad no more,
you don't think we got it bad today.

i'm not trying to bring nobody down,
just saying our fight ain't over yet.

yeah, today is beautiful