Music Video

Isaac Hayes – Soulsville (From Soul'd Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection / Official Visualizer)
Watch Isaac Hayes – Soulsville (From Soul'd Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection / Official Visualizer) on YouTube

Featured In

Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Keyboards
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Composer
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
Dave Purple
Dave Purple
Recording Engineer
Mack Rice
Mack Rice
Assistant Producer
Bettye Crutcher
Bettye Crutcher
Assistant Producer
Tom Nixon
Tom Nixon
Assistant Producer
Terry Manning
Terry Manning
Assistant Producer
Brian Kehew
Brian Kehew
Mixing Engineer
Al Bell
Al Bell
Producer
Joe Tarantino
Joe Tarantino
Mastering Engineer
Ray Thompson
Ray Thompson
Recording Engineer
Tom Scott
Tom Scott
Recording Engineer
William Brown
William Brown
Recording Engineer
Pete Bishop
Pete Bishop
Recording Engineer
Stephen Hart
Stephen Hart
Producer
George Horn
George Horn
Mastering Engineer

Lyrics

Black man, born free
At least that's the way it's supposed to be
Chains that binds him are hard to see
Unless you take this walk with me
Place where he lives has got plenty of names
Slums, ghetto and black belt, they are one and the same
And I call it "Soulsville"
Any kind of job is hard to find
That means an increase in the welfare line
Crime rate is rising too
If you are hungry, what would you do?
Rent is two months past due and the building that's falling apart
Little boy needs a pair of shoes and this is only a part of Soulsville
Some of the brothers' got plenty of cash
Tricks on the corner, gonna see to that
Some like to smoke and some like to blow
Some are even strung out on a fifty dollar Jones
Some are trying to ditch reality by getting so high
Only to find out you can never touch the sky
'Cause your hoods are in Soulsville, oh yeah
Every Sunday morning, I can hear the old sisters say
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, trust in the Lord to make a way, oh yeah
I hope that He hear their prayers 'cause deep in their souls they believe
Someday He'll put an end to all this misery that we have in Soulsville
Oh yeah, Soulsville, Soulsville, Soulsville, Soulsville, Soulsville
Written by: Isaac Hayes
instagramSharePathic_arrow_out