Matthew Clark III – Acting White lyrics

Chorus: U Better Sing! children's choir
I get made fun of cause the clothes I wear,
They say, "Blacks over here, you stand over there"
I get made fun of cause I talk polite
They say I'm Acting White, cause we act nothing alike, alike

Verse 1:
Young, gifted, and Black
Never lived a day in the hood
Parents said I never would, have to hear sirens
Or fear police violence, but those views were silenced
How wrong they could've been
Got my first lesson at the age of 10.
Issued a D.W.B., they call it Driving While Black
Who's they? The Popo, wasn't riding in a Cadillac
Me and my friends were on a Mongoose trail
Pokey looking like they wanna toss this young Black male in a cell
Suddenly, they think I'm in a gang you see
Asking, "Boy you lost?" When I live down the street
They clowning me, surrounding me, hounding me
As if I'm a delinquent to be. Not knowing I'm an A student
Never in my life made a B, and my mama got a college degree
But somehow, their views, I can't shake em off of me
All because my skin's darker
That don't mean my hearts darker, they're trying to steal my sparkle.

Chorus: U Better Sing! children's choir
I get made fun of cause the clothes I wear,
They say, "Blacks over here, you stand over there"
I get made fun of cause I talk polite
They say I'm Acting White, cause we act nothing alike, alike

Verse 2:
"Boy you lost."
Words my best friend would repeat
At the age of 16, wanted me to do as I had seen
In music videos, they were rocking throwbacks back then
I was wearing Polo sweaters like I was going golfing
Heard coughing in the back, his white girlfriend agreed
Asking me, "What my problem be!"
The question was confusing, I didn't know how to reply
Then I said, there's no problems, I feel just fine
They looked at me and sighed, guess they thought I was hopeless
Wanted me to lose focus, but what's the cost of fitting in?
I'd be lost just like them
Thinking being Black, meant that I could never truly accomplish
Guess they overlooked Martin Luther King, Booker T., W.E.B. Dubois
And all those who had dreamed,
To be Black and successful is all I wanted to be
My mama planted seeds in me, now they're sprouting a tree.

Chorus: U Better Sing! children's choir
I get made fun of cause the clothes I wear,
They say, "Blacks over here, you stand over there"
I get made fun of cause I talk polite
They say I'm Acting White, cause we act nothing alike, alike

Verse 3:
Everyday the clerk follows me around,
As if I might steal, but when I need help
He's nowhere to be found
I just laugh at the irony,
But inside, him thinking I'm a criminal kind of bothers me
It's not as if I don't know my father
I read the Bible like a dedicated scholar
Still with Black kids, they'd rather scold em
But I'm chasing success with no stalling.

Chorus: U Better Sing! children's choir
Change from the heart starts in the mind.
Love is colorblind.
Lets show love to all mankind.
What we think brings us together chains us down.
Instead of calling each other
Let's take off the shackles now.

Chorus: U Better Sing! children's choir
I get made fun of cause the clothes I wear,
They say, "Blacks over here, you stand over there"
I get made fun of cause I talk polite
They say I'm Acting White, cause we act nothing alike, alike