Is It Because I’m Black (Live at the Lodgeroom, Highland Park) Black Thought (Ft. The Midnight Hour)

[Intro]
Alright, we gather here around the midnight hour
So we can reason, analysis, articulate
And appreciate the Black experience
The history, the legacy, the lineage, so-called progress
And the great cost at which that has come
James Baldwin said
Anyone who was familiar with poverty was also familiar with
How extremely expensive it is to be poor
I think songs like this speak to how extremely expensive it is to be black

[PART 1]
The dark tones of my skin
Only adds colour to my tears
That splash against my hollow bones
And rock my soul
Thinking back at my lost dream that I once knew
Wondering why it never came true
Ooh! Is it because I'm black?
Somebody tell me, what can I do
I said, something's holding me back
Is it because I'm black?

In this world with no pity
I was born in the ghetto of the city
Momma, had to work so hard
To earn every penny
Listen, something's holding me back
Is it because I'm black?
Oh!