[Intro: Bill Withers]
Tell the Reverend Harris to pray for me, Lord
I ain't gonna live
I don't believe I'm gonna live to get much older
[Verse 1: Tonedeff]
Lights out, so peaceful, stressless
Things used to seem so restless
Forgive me please, see I need to address this
Just haven't been this breathless since I met this
Woman who leapt into my life when I was reckless
Mothered my blessed kid, but was destined to exit early
Guess you can say I've been blessed with the best gifts
Reminiscing, holding her necklace in my clenched fist, hah
It's funny how we move in sudden directions
Dedicated my life to the public's protection
Never remarried 'cause love's an investment
Besides, I had a baby girl to worry about that would struggle to blend in
Now as I think, a weightlessness is interrupting my senses
A pulsing tension carries my very frame, I rise up in ascension: wait
I try to escape, but I arrive at these gates
I see a figure standing guard who invites me to pray
[Chorus]
I tried it on
At the gates of Hell
I'm going to lay
Down, down
[Verse 2: Tonedeff & Deacon]
I walk towards the figure that's extending its hand
I move to enter past the gates yet I'm met with its grasp
Slow down son, there's things to discuss, such as family
But first, let us talk about vanity
Vanity? Man, you're sadly mistaken, you, either that or your sanity's shaken
If you'd examine me patiently you'd retract on your statement
I haven't sinned flagrantly, I've acted as faithfully
As any other single father who raised a baby girl graciously
Nakedly, she was at your door after her mother's death
Ignorant to racial anger and other stress
Later had a mixed baby at her sweet sixteen
How did that fit within your picnic scene?
Sometimes it's too late to fix these things, the pristine dream was over
Had to face the fact she split these genes with his sick seed
With skin the darkest pigment seen.and so I kicked and screamed
Until we found the peace that distance brings
A mixed race queen, that was your thoughts about her momma
Up yonder went her soul, your hate growed from ponders
On life, being less trife with a white wife
So any instance of y'alls differences it was slice-slice
Oh my, it's not her race, my daughter's love flies blind
I couldn't take her making the same mistakes that crushed my life
I'm dumbstruck by these baseless allegations
I've saved too many lives of all creeds for you to paint me as a racist
I've endangered my own safety to save babies from blazes
Black, white, Latino, even Asian on occasion
But why so?
How dare you question my motivation!
No need to second guess, your only aim was to be famous
Lord knows, you've left behind scorched souls
Black children left chilling, later found burnt whole
So sadly, your glory's to come urgently
Sentenced to fight fires for eternity
