A Toast to the People

by Gil Scott-Heron

From the album: Pieces of a Man

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

Duration: 03:25

Pieces of a Man cover art

Lyrics for A Toast to the People

And though it's been too long And too many years have passed And though the time has gone The memory still holds fast Though strange it may seem We still live in the past The essence of a black life Oh, trapped in the hourglass And ever since we came to this land The South has ruled the day When we would stand as one And raise our voices and say You know there will be no more lynching And no more talk of class My sons and my daughters Won't die in the hourglass A toast to David Walker A toast to Martin King A toast to all the leaders Who had a golden dream A toast to all black fathers Who lived their lives in vain A toast to all black mothers Who showed a life in pain A toast to the people, yeah A toast to the people, yeah The beautiful people Yeah, my beautiful people, yeah My beautiful black brothers Yeah, my beautiful black brothers, yeah My beautiful black sisters My beautiful black sisters Our sisters and our brothers Our sisters and our brothers My, my sisters A toast to the people And my brothers A toast to the people A toast to the people A toast to the people

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