To Be Young, Gifted, and Black

To be young, gifted and black,
Oh what a lovely precious dream
To be young, gifted and black,
Open your heart to what I mean

In the whole world you know
There are billion boys and girls
Who are young, gifted and black,
And that’s a fact!

Young, gifted and black
We must begin to tell our young
There’s a world waiting for you
This is a quest that’s just begun

When you feel really low
Yeah, there’s a great truth you should know
When you’re young, gifted and black
Your soul’s intact

Young, gifted and black
How I long to know the truth
There are times when I look back
And I am haunted by my youth

Oh but my joy of today
Is that we can all be proud to say
To be young, gifted and black
Is where it’s at

Listen Here:

 

“To Be Young, Gifted and Black” is a song by Nina Simone with lyrics by Weldon Irvine. It was written in memory of Simone’s late friend Lorraine Hansberry, author of the play A Raisin in the Sun, who had died in 1965 aged 34.

The song was originally recorded and released by Simone in 1969, also featuring on her 1970 album Black Gold, and was a Civil Rights Movement anthem. Released as a single, it peaked at number eight on the R&B chart and number 76 on the Hot 100.^[1] 

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