Black man, born free,nAt least that's the way it's supposed to be;nThe chains that bind him are hard to see,nUnless you take this walk with me;nnThe place where he lives, God, he gives them names nThe 'Hood, 'The Projects, 'The Ghetto; they are one and the same;nAnd I call it 'Soulsville' ah, yeah.nnAny kind of job is hard to find,nThat means an increase in the welfare line;nThe crime rate is rising too, butnIf you are hungry, what would you do?nnThe rent is two months past due, in a building that's falling apart,nLittle boy needs a new pair of shoes, and this is only a part of SoulsvillennSome of the brothers' got plenty of cash, tricks on the corner is going to see to that,nSome like to smoke and some like to blow, some are even strung out on a $50 JonesnTrying to ditch reality, by getting so, high,nOnly to find out, that you can never reach the sky, nBecause your roots are in Soulsville, oh, yes they are.nnEvery Sunday morning, I can hear the church sisters sing 'Hallelujah, Hallelujah,nTrusting the Lord to make a way, oh yeah;nI hope that He hears their prayers, because deep in their souls they believe,nSomeday He'll put an end to all this misery that we have in, SoulsvillenAll yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah nHm