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Is It Because Im Black

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Is It Because I'm Black
Syl Johnson
Only two chords but SO MUCH SOUL
AbmThe dark brown shades of my skin only add colour to my tears
Ooooooh    DbmThat splash against my hollow bones, that rocks my Abmsoul
Looking back over my false dreams, that I once knew
Wondering why my dreams never came true
DbmIs it because I'm black?
Somebody tell me, what can I Abmdo Oh Lord
DbmSomething is holding me back
Is it because I'm Abmblack?
In this world of no pity
I was raised in the ghetto of the city
DbmMomma, she works so hard
To earn every penny
Something is holding me back
Is it because I'm Abmblack?
SOLO (same chords)
AbmLike a child stealing candy for the first time, and got caught
Thiefing around life's corner somewhere I got lost
DbmSomething is holding me back ahaaaaaaaaa
I wonder, is it because I'm Abmblack?
Somebody tell me what can I do
Will I survive, or will I die?
You keep on Dbmholding me back
You keep on holding on
You keep on picking on me
You keep on holding me back
You keep on holding on
You keep on holding on
                   Abm( Abmuntil the end!!!)
You're holding me back
I wonder why, you do me like that
But you keep on holding me back
You keep on putting your foot on me
But I, I've got to break away
Somehow and someday
Cause I wanna be somebody so bad, so bad
I wanna be somebody, I wanna be somebody so bad
You see, I want diamond rings and things, like you do
And I wanna drive Cadillac cars
I wanna be somebody so bad
But you keep on putting your foot on me
And I, I believe, I believe I can break away
And be somebody, somehow, and someway
Ya see, I heard somebody say one time
You can make it, if you try
And some of us, we tried so hard, we tried so hard
I want you to know that I don't speak for myself
But I speak for y'all too right now
Ya see, if you have white-like brown skin and a high yeller
You're still black
So we all got to stick together right now
This I wanna say to you my sisters and my brothers
Right on sister
Right on brother
Dig this:
And we keep on pushing down
We've got to make it a little bit further
We've got to make it a little further
All we got to do is try, try, try
And some of us, we've tried so hard
We've tried so hard, we've tried so hard
We've tried so hard, so hard to be somebody
We've tried so hard, although, they're holding us back
And it stairs the reason, that they're doing us like that
You know what? It is
I believe, it is because we are black
But hey, we can't stop now, we can't stop now
We've got to keep on, keep on, keep on, keeping on
We've got to keep on keeping on
I know and I know and I know that you know that I know it ain't right
Oh, it ain't right, it ain't right, it ain't right
That they hold us, hold us, hold us back
They're holding us back, they're holding us back
I wonder, sometimes I sit down, sit down and I wonder

All chords in this song (2)

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Is It Because Im Black

by Syl Johnson

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Abm

Dbm

Is It Because I'm Black

Syl Johnson

Only two chords but SO MUCH SOUL

Abm

The dark brown shades of my skin only add colour to my tears

Dbm Abm

Ooooooh That splash against my hollow bones, that rocks my soul

Looking back over my false dreams, that I once knew

Wondering why my dreams never came true

Dbm

Is it because I'm black?

Abm

Somebody tell me, what can I do Oh Lord

Dbm

Something is holding me back

Abm

Is it because I'm black?

In this world of no pity

I was raised in the ghetto of the city

Dbm

Momma, she works so hard

To earn every penny

Something is holding me back

Abm

Is it because I'm black?

SOLO (same chords)

Abm

Like a child stealing candy for the first time, and got caught

Thiefing around life's corner somewhere I got lost

Dbm

Something is holding me back ahaaaaaaaaa

Abm

I wonder, is it because I'm black?

Somebody tell me what can I do

Will I survive, or will I die?

Dbm

You keep on holding me back

You keep on holding on

You keep on picking on me

You keep on holding me back

You keep on holding on

Abm Abm

( until the end!!!)

You're holding me back

I wonder why, you do me like that

But you keep on holding me back

You keep on putting your foot on me

But I, I've got to break away

Somehow and someday

Cause I wanna be somebody so bad, so bad

I wanna be somebody, I wanna be somebody so bad

You see, I want diamond rings and things, like you do

And I wanna drive Cadillac cars

I wanna be somebody so bad

But you keep on putting your foot on me

And I, I believe, I believe I can break away

And be somebody, somehow, and someway

Ya see, I heard somebody say one time

You can make it, if you try

And some of us, we tried so hard, we tried so hard

I want you to know that I don't speak for myself

But I speak for y'all too right now

Ya see, if you have white-like brown skin and a high yeller

You're still black

So we all got to stick together right now

This I wanna say to you my sisters and my brothers

Right on sister

Right on brother

Dig this:

And we keep on pushing down

We've got to make it a little bit further

We've got to make it a little further

All we got to do is try, try, try

And some of us, we've tried so hard

We've tried so hard, we've tried so hard

We've tried so hard, so hard to be somebody

We've tried so hard, although, they're holding us back

And it stairs the reason, that they're doing us like that

You know what? It is

I believe, it is because we are black

But hey, we can't stop now, we can't stop now

We've got to keep on, keep on, keep on, keeping on

We've got to keep on keeping on

I know and I know and I know that you know that I know it ain't right

Oh, it ain't right, it ain't right, it ain't right

That they hold us, hold us, hold us back

They're holding us back, they're holding us back

I wonder, sometimes I sit down, sit down and I wonder

About Is It Because Im Black Chords by Syl Johnson

Learn how to play Is It Because Im Black by Syl Johnson with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Is It Because Im Black chords”, “Is It Because Im Black guitar chords”, or “Syl Johnson Is It Because Im Black chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Is It Because Im Black chords and for experienced players who want accurate Is It Because Im Black lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include Abm, Dbm.

FAQ — Is It Because Im Black by Syl Johnson

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What key is "Is It Because Im Black" in?

The chords for "Is It Because Im Black" show the original chord names (including Abm, Dbm). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.