I got a letter from the government
The other day
I opened and read it
It said they were suckers
They wanted me for the army or whatever
Picture me given' a damn, I said never
Here is a land that never gave a damn
About a brother like me and myself
Because they never did
I wasn't wit' it, but just that very minute
It occurred to me
Cold sweatin' as I dwell in my cell
How long has it been?
They got me sittin' in the state pen
I gotta get out, but that thought was thought before
I contemplated a plan on the cell floor
I'm not a fugitive on the run
But a brother like me begun, to be another one
Public enemy servin' time, they drew the line y'all
To criticize me some crime, never the less
They could not understand that I'm a black man
And I could never be a veteran
On the strength, the situation's unreal
I got a raw deal, now I'm lookin' for the steel
(Many switch in, switch on, switch off (Repeat x5))
Nevertheless they cannot understand
That I'm a black man, and I could never be a veteran.
On the strength of situations, I'm real.
I got a raw deal, so I'm lookin' for the steel
Lookin' for the steel.