[Verse 1: Gil Scott-Heron]
From the Indians who welcomed the pilgrims
And to the buffalos who once ruled the plain
Like the vultures circling beneath the dark clouds
Looking for the rain
Looking for the rain

[Verse 2: Gil Scott-Heron]
Just like the cities staggered on the coastline
In a nation that just can't stand much more
Like the forest buried beneath the highway
Never had a chance to grow
Never had a chance to grow

[Verse 3: Gil Scott-Heron]
And now it's winter
It’s winter in America
Yes, and all of the healers have been killed
Or sent away, yeah
But the people know, the people know
It's winter
Winter in America
And ain't nobody fighting
'Cause nobody knows what to save
Save your soul, Lord knows
From winter in America
[Verse 4: Gil Scott-Heron]
The Constitution, a noble piece of paper
Would free society. It struggled but then died in vain
And now Democracy is ragtime on the corner
Hoping for some rain
And looks like it's hoping
Hoping for some rain

[Verse 5: Gil Scott-Heron]
And I see the robins perched in barren treetops
They’re watching last-ditch racists marching across the floor
But just like the peace sign that vanished in our dreams
Never had a chance to grow
Never had a chance to grow

[Verse 6: Gil Scott-Heron]
And now it's winter
It's winter in America
And all of the healers have been killed or betrayed, yeah
But the people know, the people know
It's winter, Lord knows
It's winter in America
And ain't nobody fighting
‘Cause nobody knows what to save
Save your soul
From winter in America
Stick
[Verse 7: Gil Scott-Heron]
And now it's winter
Winter in America
And all of the healers done been killed or sent away
Yeah, and the people know, the people know
It's winter
Winter in America
And ain't nobody fighting
‘Cause nobody knows what to save
And ain't nobody fighting
‘Cause nobody knows, nobody knows
And ain't nobody fighting
‘Cause nobody knows what to save