A Sign of the Ages

by Gil Scott-Heron

From the album: Pieces of a Man

Track 8 of 14 on Pieces of a Man (1971).

Duration: 04:02

Pieces of a Man cover art

Lyrics for A Sign of the Ages

It's a sign of the ages Markings on my mind Men at the crossroads At odds with an angry sky There can be no salvation There can be no rest Until all old customs Are put to the test The gods are all angry You hear from the breeze As night slams like a hammer Yeah, and you drop to your knees The questions can't be answered You're always haunted by the past The world's full of children Who grew up too fast Yeah, but where can you run Since there ain't no world of your own And you know that no one will ever miss you Yeah, yeah, yeah When you're finally gone So you cry like a baby, a baby Or you go out and get high But there ain't no peace on earth, man Maybe peace when you die, yeah

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More from Pieces of a Man

  1. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
  2. Save the Children
  3. Lady Day and John Coltrane
  4. Home Is Where the Hatred Is
  5. When You Are Who You Are
  6. I Think I'll Call It Morning
  7. Pieces of a Man
  8. A Sign of the Ages
  9. Or Down You Fall
  10. The Needle's Eye
  11. The Prisoner
  12. Chains
  13. Peace
  14. A Toast to the People