We shall overcome
In many ways the world in which we live in today is an extremely depressing place
It's hard to deny that
And it's wrong to deny that

War, starvation, the degradation of our environment
People being manipulated and mulled into a stupor by the mass media
Consumerism, a futile striving for happiness
Earning more and more money to buy more and more things
And on and on it goes
But if we become depressed
Overwhelmed by the obstacles in front of us
In creating a world of sanity of joy of compassion
Then we become part of the problem
Another obstacle that others who are prepared to be socially and politically active
Have to overcome
During the 1960's when Martin Luther king Jr
And the people of the civil rights movement
Stood up to the bigots and the power structure
Denying Americans their basic human rights
They sang a song
On marches, on picket lines, and in the jailhouses
A song which became a symbol of hope
A belief that one day we shall overcome
That on this earth
There will be peace
There will be justice
There will be human brotherhood
We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome someday
Oh we