The American Negro Songtext
von Adrian Younge

I am an evolving term that we can′t agree on
A multitude of colours
Some can't quite process
A porch monkey that arrived as a jungle bunny
A boy, even though I was never a pickaninny
I am the sound of America
The dissonance they created

I am a black American
Coloured by America′s ineptitude
I am an African American
Struggling with my allegiance to the motherland
I am an evolving light living under the shade of our ancestors
I am your American negro

Sun burns in the shade
My melanin feels the light
Don't worry about radiation
The people's gon′ be alright


Sun burns in the shade
My melanin feels the light
Don′t worry about radiation
The people's gon′ be alright

Love my people
See the world through the darkness
Black shine, no loss to shine
Black love, oh
Light up the world under the sky

We need more love (We need to feel more love)
We've got to give more love
We need to feel more love
We′ve got to give more love

Sun burns in the shade
My melanin feels the light
Don't worry about radiation
The people′s gon' be alright
Sun burns in the shade

No matter the perjorative choice, we are black
Unlike the tar they used on their faces
To reinforce a stereotype
Their stereos don't like


And I say this because I am of sound mind
And the sounds that reverberate in my mind
Are never confused by the volume of misinformation
Programming the minds of America

Black people, listen to your own music
As soul is the connection to our ancestors
A language of tonal tensions
Teaching an audience it was never intended for