The Bottle

by Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson

From the album: It's Your World

Track 9 of 10 on It's Your World (1976).

Duration: 13:30

It's Your World cover art

Lyrics for The Bottle

See that black boy over there, runnin' scared His ol' man's in a bottle. He done quit his 9 to 5 to drink full time So now he's livin' in the bottle. See that Black boy over there, runnin' scared His ol' man got a problem Pawned off damn near everything, his ol' Woman's weddin' ring for a bottle. And don't you think it's a crime When time after time, people in the bottle. See that sista, sho wuz fine before she Started drinkin' wine From the bottle. Said her ol' man committed a crime And he's doin' time, So now she's in the bottle. She's out there on the avenue, all by herself Sho' needs help from the bottle. Preacherman tried to help her out, She cussed him out and hit him in the head with a bottle. And don't you think it's a crime When time after time, people in the bottle. See that gent in the wrinkled suit He done damn near blown his cool To the bottle He wuz a doctor helpin' young girls along If they wuzn't too far gone to have problems. But defenders of the dollar eagle Said "What you doin', Doc, it ain't legal," And now he's in the bottle. Now we watch him everyday tryin' to Chase the pigeons away From the bottle. And don't you think it's a crime When time after time, people in the bottle.

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More from It's Your World

  1. It's Your World
  2. Possum Slim
  3. New York City
  4. 17th Street
  5. Tomorrow's Trane
  6. Must Be Something
  7. Home Is Where The Hatred Is
  8. Bicentennial Blues
  9. The Bottle
  10. Sharing