Hard Way to Go

Rooster came to America, must have been a sight to see

On a boat out of Africa, 1823

Had to learn the customs here, he got to know first-hand

How a man can own another man

Since the time that he lived and died, whole lotta things have changed

Still you know there's a lotta things seem just about the same

Now the sons of Rooster's sons are something we call free

They live across the railroad tracks from me

It's a hard way to go, we are goin'

It's a long way around

It don't have to be

But it sure seems like to me

That the only way we know is a hard way to go

Set a price on the knowing of the difference in right and wrong

A dead line for the time it takes to learn how to get along

X amount of centuries, X amount of pain

A fair amount of pulling against the chain

It's a hard way to go, we are goin'

It's a long way around

It don't have to be

But it sure seems like to me

That the only way we know is a hard way to go

Yeah, the only way we know is a hard, hard, hard, hard way to go