Curtis Mayfield Album

Little child
Runnin' wild
Watch a while
You see he never smiles

Broken home
Father gone
Mama tired
So he's all alone

Kind of sad
Kind of mad
Ghetto child
Thinkin' he's been had

In the back of his mind he's sayin'

Didn't have to be here
You didn't have to love for me
While I was just a nothin' child
Why couldn't they just let me be
Let me be, let me be, let me be

One room shack
On the alley-back
Control, I'm told
From across the track

Where is the mayor
Who'll make all things fair
He lives outside
Our polluted air

And I didn't have to be here
You didn't have to love for me
While I was just a nothin' child
Why couldn't they just let me be
Let me be, let me be, let me be

I got a jones
Runnin' through ma' bones
I'm sorry son
All your money's gone

Painful rip
In my upper hip
I guess it's time
To take another trip

Don't care what nobody say
I got to take the pain away
It's getting worser day by day
And all my life has been this way
Can't reason with the pusherman
Finance is all that he understands
'You junkie, mama cries, you know'
Would rip her, but I love her so
Love her so, now....

I'm your mama, I'm your daddy,
I'm that nigga in the alley.
I'm your doctor when in need.
Want some coke? Have some weed.
You know me, I'm your friend,
Your main boy, thick and thin.
I'm your pusherman.

Ain't I clean, bad machine
Super cool, super mean
Dealin' good, for The Man.
Superfly, here I stand.
Secret stash, heavy bread,
Baddest bitches in the bed,
I'm your pusherman

Silent life of crime
A man of odd circumstance,
A victim of ghetto demands.
Feed me money for style
And I'll let you trip for a while.
Insecure from the past,
How long can a good thing last?
No, no, no

Got to be mellow, y'all
Got to get mellow, now
Pusherman gettin' mellow, y'all

Heavy mind, every sign
Makin' money all the time
My LD and just me
For all junkies to see
Ghetto Prince is my thing
Makin' love's how I swing
I'm your pusherman

Two bags, please
For a generous fee
Make your world what you want it to be
Got a woman I love desperately
Wanna give her somethin' better than me
Been told I can't be nuthin' else
Just a hustler in spite of myself
I know I can break it
This life just don't make it
Lord, Lord, yeah

Got to get mellow, now
Gotta be mellow, y'all
Got to get mellow, now

I'm your mama, I'm your daddy,
I'm that nigga in the alley.
I'm your doctor when in need.
Want some coke? Have some weed.
You know me, I'm your friend,
Your main boy, thick and thin.
I'm your pusherman.
I'm your pusherman.
I'm your pusherman.
I'm your pusherman.
Lord, Lord

Hey, hey
Love, love
Yeah, yeah
Ah, ha
Freddies dead
That's what I said
Let the rap a plan
Said he'd see him home
But his hope was a rope
And he should've known
It's hard to understand
That there's love in this man
I'm sure all would agree
That his misery was his
Woman and things
Now Freddie's dead
That's what I said

Everybody's misused him
Ripped him up and abused him
Another junkie plan
Pushin' dope for the man
A terrible blow
But that's how it goes
A freddies on the corner now
If you wanna be a junkie, wow
Remember freddies dead

We're all built up with progress
But sometimes I must confess
We can deal with rockets and dreams
But reality, what does it mean
Ain't nothing said
'Cause freddies dead

Hey, hey
Love, love
Hey, hey
Yeah, yeah
Ha, ha
Love, love
Yeah, yeah
Ha, ha
Yeah, yeah
Freddies dead

All I want is some peace of mind
With a little love I'm trying to find
This could be such a beautiful world
With a wonderful girl
Why I need a woman child
Don't wanna be like freddie now
'Cause freddies dead
Hey, hey
Yeah, yeah
If you don't try
You're gonna die

Why can't we brothers
Protect one another
No one's serious
And it makes me furious
Don't be misled
Just think of Fred

Everybody's misused him
Ripped him up and abused him
Another junkie plan
Pushin' dope for the man
A freddies on the corner now
If you wanna be a junkie, why
Remember freddies dead
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Freddies dead
Hey, hey
Ha, ha
Love, love
Ha, ha...

[No lyrics]

Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love

I want you so baby
Can't even get mad at you
What a thing You really swing
And I feel so good it's true
You're such a gun
Make my lungs sigh
Breathin' in the air
Through lovin' you I really know, child
Just how much I care
Give me your love

Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love

Preparing for tomorrow
You do what you have to do
I'll share the weight
Whatever fate
Plans to bring to you
Don't worry 'bout no attitude
You just be yourself
Could live with you
In solitude
And need no one else

Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love, love
Give me your love
Give me, give me

Eddie, you should know better
Brother, you know you're wrong

Think of the tears and fears
You bring to your folks back home
They'd say, "where did he go wrong, my Lord?"

We planned and worked hard
From the very start
Tried to make him better
Than all the rest
But the brother proved to be
So much less

Eddie is everybody's friend
But sometimes we wonder now and then

The only time he'll choose you
When theres's something to lose through
His personal loss
And the friend pays the cost
All the time

Must be something' that's freezin' his mind
That has made him, through greed, so very blind
And I don't think he's gonna make it this time

I've met many people over the years
And in my opinion I have found that
People are the same everywhere
They have the same fears
Shed similar tears
Die in so many years
The oppressed seem to have suffered the most
In every continent - coast to coast
Now our lives are in the hands of The Pusherman
We break it all down
In hopes that you might understand
How to protect yourself
Don't make no profit for The Man

I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me

I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me

There's somethin' kinda funny
How The Man take your money
He's shrewd as he can be
In such a way you'll never see
It's a terrible thing inside
When your natural high has died
The weaker turn to dope
And put all aside their hope

I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me

I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me

Twinkling twinkling grains
They do all sorts of things
While your inner mind is pleased
Your conscience is only teased...

More and more you feed
Until you grow another need
Playing fantasy
You have no reality

I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me

I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me

Sit down and take a listen
This may be something that you're missin'
I know your mind,
You want it funky
But you don't have to be no junkie

Just be glad you've got your own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The Man can't put no thing on me

I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me

Sure is funky
Sure is funky
I ain't no junkie
I ain't no junkie

Sure is funky
Sure is funky
I ain't no junkie
I ain't no junkie

I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see...

[No lyrics]

Darkest of night
With the moon shining bright
There's a set goin' strong
Lotta things goin' on
The man of the hour
Has an air of great power
The dudes have envied him for so long

Oooh, Superfly
You're gonna make your fortune by and by
But if you lose, don't ask no questions why
The only game you know is Do or Die
Ah-ha-ha

Hard to understand
What a hell of a man
This cat of the slum
Had a mind, wasn't dumb
But a weakness was shown
'Cause his hustle was wrong
His mind was his own
But the man lived alone

Oooh, Superfly
You're gonna make your fortune by and by
But if you lose, don't ask no questions why
The only game you know is Do or Die
Ah-ha-ha

The game he plays he plays for keeps
Hustlin' times and ghetto streets
Tryin' ta get over
(That's what he tryin' to do, y'all)

Taking all that he can take
Gambling with the odds of fate
Tryin' ta get over (4x)
Woo, Superfly...

The aim of his role
Was to move a lot of blow
Ask him his dream
What does it mean?
He wouldn't know
"Can't be like the rest"
Is the most he'll confess
But the time's running out
And there's no happiness

Oooh, Superfly
You're gonna make your fortune by and by
But if you lose, don't ask no questions why
The only game you know is Do or Die
Ah-ha-ha

Superfly (4x)

"Tryin' ta get over..." (9x)