The Suitors - Was It Just A Dream Lyrics

Mahalia said tell em bout the dream
For us to realize it was the dream of Dr. King
Take me away I'll leave a legacy
And they'll be celebrating MLK Day
Mother Mahalia said tell 'em bout the dream
For us to realize it was the dream of Dr. King
Take me away I'll leave a legacy

On January 15, 1929
I started as Michael Junior then became Martin Luther
Who'd knew it end on a balcony with a sharpshooter
My Daddy was a bad man a Georgia old schooler
Son of some sharecroppers who had a white ruler
Still became Morehouse College Alumni
Born in the house of my grand daddy on Mom's side
Hell in the ATL as a young guy
Segregation and racism they were easy to come by
Pops a proud black man who in its face held his high
Whole Bible memorized Booker T Washington High
Martin Sr never spared the rod to spoil his child
And I never cried even though the tears poured down
I studied Frederick and Harriet Sojourner and Booker
To take the weight and just carry it no matter how long took us
A young civil rights leader top one to give a speech
By 1955 Pastor with a Doctorate degree

I've been to the mountaintop
And heard no brutalizing sound of cops (or was it just a dream?)
Judge me by my character
Be true to what you said Amerikkka (what did you really mean?)
Yeah tell 'em bout the dream
But for us to realize it was the dream of Dr. King
Take me away I'll leave a legacy
And they'll be celebrating MLK Day

To be honest It would be nice to just have a little quiet life
Me and my wife Pastor her Daddy church and Preach Christ
But when the voice of God lifts out burning bush you can't miss it
He said I've given you a mission and who I've called I've equipped
Reading the book of Exodus
Any black man with sense
Would notice the similarities are hard to dismiss
The roads we wandered was not so Wakanda
But the fact of our humanity they had to be convinced
Looked us dead in our faces and told us bootless men
To lift ourselves by its laces - where is y'all's grit?
So we hopped up in our whips with the Gospel on our lips
Said your Bible and Constitution give your actions no defense
Of course they ain't listen I was starting to lose hope
Until my man Byron put me on that non violent approach
Y'all strung us up with ropes in hopes our plans would fail
But generations to come would read our letters from jail

I've been to the mountaintop - this would be my last address
Taught nonviolence - Will America pass the test?
Been active threats since we boycotted the transit systems
In Alabama re-examining the black man's existence
Said they wanted me dead in 64
When the Civil Rights Act passed we cheered "freedom at last"
Looking in my kids Yolanda Martin Dexter and Bernice eyes
I can't explain why death wishes accompanied my peace prize
Under surveillance my phones tapped and office wired
Disgruntled bigots got plots hoping that I expire
The last straw was not me giving folks the will to fight
Poor people's campaign the Economic Bill of Rights
Did it! April 4th, 1968
At the Lorraine Motel some say an angel fell
No, I'm a man, I'm a scholar I'm the dream
I am a teacher, I'm the voice of the people - I'M A KING

Chorus
I've been to the mountaintop
And heard no brutalizing sound of cops (or was it just a dream?)
Judge me by my character
Be true to what you said Amerikkka (what did you really mean?)
Yeah tell 'em bout the dream
But for us to realize it was the dream of Dr. King
Take me away I'll leave a legacy
And they'll be celebrating MLK Day