[Verse 1: Rick James & background singers]
Love is not a color
You can paint black or white, no, no
Picture that in your mind

Love is not a feeling
That you let go to at night, no, no
Picture that in your mind

[Refrain 1: background singers]
You can play the game, you're so strong
You can say you're right when you're wrong
Still your life is just painted pictures

You can laugh when you want to cry
Say hello when you mean goodbye
Still your life is just painted pictures

[Chorus]
Painted pictures, painted pictures
Painted pictures, painted pictures

[Verse 2: Rick James & background singers]
Love is not a candle
That you turn on like a light, no, no
Picture that in your mind
Love is not a collar
You can call wrong or right, no, no
Picture that in your mind

[Refrain 2: background singers]
You can give the things you don't have
You can lose the things that you love
Still your life is just painted pictures

You can play you're straight when you're not
You can say you're cold when you're hot
Still your life is just painted pictures

[Refrain 3: Rick James & background singers]
Play you're good when you're bad
You can play you're good when you're bad
Say you're glad when you're sad
You can say you're glad when you're sad
Still your life is just painted, yeah
Still your life is just painted pictures

[Refrain 4: Rick James & background singers]
You can lose, yeah
You can lose when you want to win
You an die and be born again
You can die and be born again
Still, your life is painted
Still your life is just painted pictures, ooh-oh
[Chorus]
Painted pictures, painted pictures
Painted pictures, painted pictures

[Refrain 5: Rick James & background singers]
You can play the game, you're so strong
Say you're right when you're wrong
You can say you're right when you're wrong
Still, your life is just painted
Still your life is just painted pictures
Oh-oh, oh yeah

[Refrain 6: Rick James & background singers]
You can laugh when you want to cry
You can laugh, ha ha
Say hello when you mean goodbye
Say hello
Still your life is just painted pictures, ooh-oh

[Outro: Rick James]
You can cry, you can listen...

[fadeout]