Gil Scott-Heron — Winter In America Live 1983

[Verse 1] From the Indians who welcomed the pilgrims And to the buffalos who once ruled the plain Like the vultures circling beneath the dark clouds Looking for the rain Looking for the rain [Verse 2] Just like the cities staggered on the coastline In a nation that just can't stand much more Like the forest buried beneath the highway Never had a chance to grow Never had a chance to grow [Verse 3] And now it's winter It’s winter in America Yes, and all of the healers have been killed Or sent away, yeah But the people know, the people know It's winter Winter in America And ain't nobody fighting 'Cause nobody knows what to save Save your soul, Lord knows From winter in America [Verse 4] The Constitution, a noble piece of paper Would free society. It struggled but then died in vain And now Democracy is ragtime on the corner Hoping for some rain And looks like it's hoping Hoping for some rain [Verse 5] And I see the robins perched in barren treetops They’re watching last-ditch racists marching across the floor But just like the peace sign that vanished in our dreams Never had a chance to grow Never had a chance to grow [Verse 6] And now it's winter It's winter in America And all of the healers have been killed or betrayed, yeah But the people know, the people know It's winter, Lord knows It's winter in America And ain't nobody fighting ‘Cause nobody knows what to save Save your soul From winter in America Stick [Verse 7] And now it's winter Winter in America And all of the healers done been killed or sent away Yeah, and the people know, the people know It's winter Winter in America And ain't nobody fighting ‘Cause nobody knows what to save And ain't nobody fighting ‘Cause nobody knows, nobody knows And ain't nobody fighting ‘Cause nobody knows what to save