Black man, born free 
At least that's the way it's supposed to be 
The chains that binds him are hard to see 
Unless you take this walk with me 
Place where he lives 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 lines 
The crime rate is rising too 
If you were hungry what would you do? 
Rent is two months past due 
On a building that's falling apart 
Little boy needs a pair of shoes 
This is only a part of 
Soulsville 
Some of the brothers got plenty of cash 
The 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 roots are in 
Soulsville, oh, yeah 
Every Sunday morning 
I can hear the sisters sayin' 
Hallelujah, 
Hallelujah 
Trust in the 
Lord to make a way, oh yeah 
I hope that 
He hears their prayers '
Cause deep in their souls they believe 
One day He'll put an end to all this misery 
That they have here in 
Soulsville 
Soulsville, 
Soulsville, 
Soulsville