Reynolds Rap

Our "Ball Of Confusion" Is Leading Us to
"A Hell Below," because of the "Error of Our Ways!"

Ball of Confusion
(That's What The World Is Today)

[Don't Worry] If There Is a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go

Error Of Our Ways

[Intro]
One, two, One, two, three, four, ow!

[Verse 1: Eddie, Dennis]
People movin' out,
People movin' in
Why?
Because of the color of their skin
Run, run, run, but you sure can't hide

An eye for an eye,
A tooth for a tooth
Vote for me and I'll set you free
Rap on, brother, rap on

Well, the only person talkin' 'bout "
Love thy brother"
Is the preacher
And it seems
Nobody's interested in learnin'
But the teacher

[Pre-Chorus: Dennis]
Segregation,
Determination,
Demonstration,
Integration
Aggravation,
Humiliation,
Obligation to our nation

[Chorus] Ball of confusion
Oh, yeah
That's what the world is today
Woo, hey, hey

[Verse 2: Paul, Dennis, Melvin]
The sale of pills are at an all-time high Young folks walkin' 'round
With their heads in the sky
Cities aflame in the summertime
And oh, the beat goes on

Evolution,
Revolution,
Gun control,
The sound of soul
Shooting rockets to the moon,
Kids growin' up too soon
Politicians say,
"More taxes will solve everything,"
And the band played on

[Pre-Chorus]
So 'round and around
And around we go
Where the world's headed,
Nobody knows

[Chorus] Oh, Great Googa Mooga
Can't you hear me talking to you?
Just a ball of confusion
Oh yeah,
That's what the world is today
Woo, hey, hey

[Verse 3]
Fear in the air,
Tension everywhere
Unemployment rising fast
The Beatles' new record's a gas
And the only safe place to live
Is on an Indian reservation

And the band played on

Eve of destruction,
Tax deduction
City inspectors,
Bill collectors
Mod clothes in demand,
Population out of hand
Suicide,
Too many bills
Hippies moving to the hills
People all over the world are shouting, "End the war"
And the band played on

[Chorus] Great Googa Mooga
Can't you hear me talking to you?
It's a ball of confusion
That's what the world is today,
hey, hey

Let me hear ya,
Let me hear ya,
Let me hear ya
Sayin', ball of confusion
That's what the world is today,
Hey, hey
Let me hear ya,
Let me hear ya,
Let me hear ya,
Let me hear ya,
Let me hear ya,
Sayin', ball of confusion
That's what the world is today

[Intro]
(Spoken: Woman's voice)
Last night I was so depressed
And I went and got the Bible
And I turned to the book
Of Revelations
And if people would just get . . .
Read the Bible and
Read the book of Revelations
They would really turn around
And straighten up
This is all we need to do
Is just get the good book
And read it
And put it to everyday life

[Spoken: Curtis Mayfield]
Sisters,
Niggers,
Whities,
Jews,
Crackers
Don't Worry . . .
If there's hell below,
We're all gonna go!!!

Sisters
Brothers and the Whities
Blacks and the crackers
Police and their backers
They′re all political actors

Hurry,
People running from their worries While the judge and his juries Dictate the law that's partly flaw

Cat calling
Love balling
Fussing and cussing
Top billing now is killing
For peace no one is willing
Kind of make you get that feeling

Everybody smoke
Use the pill and the dope
Educated fools
From uneducated schools

[Pre-Chorus]
Pimping people is the rule
Polluted water in the pool

[Chorus]
And Nixon talking about
Don′t worry
He say don't worry
He say don't worry
He say don't worry

[Verse]
But they don′t know
There can be no show
And if there's a hell below
We′re all gonna go

Everybody's praying
And everybody′s saying
But when come time to do Everybody's laying

[Chorus]
Just talking about
Don′t worry
They say don't worry
They say don't worry
They say don't worry

[Verse]
Sisters
Brothers and the Whities
Blacks and the Crackers
Police and their backers
They′re all political actors
Smoke, the pill and the dope

Educated fools
From uneducated schools,
Pimping people is the rule
Polluted water in the pool

[Chorus]
And everybody's saying
Don′t worry
They say don't worry
They say don't worry
They say don't worry

[Verse]
But they don′t know
There can be no show
And if there's a hell below
We're all gonna go

Lord what we gonna do?

Tell me what we gonna do
If everything I say is true
This ain′t no way it ought to be
If only all the mass could see

[Outro]
But they keep talkin' about
Don't worry
They say don't worry
They say don't worry
They say don't worry

[Intro]
[Shooby-dooby-dooby-dooby-doowah
(Shooby-doo-doo-doo)
Shooby-dooby-dooby-dooby
(Ah yeah, oh, oh)
Shooby-dooby-dooby-dooby-doo-wah (Shooby-dooby-dooby) Shooby-dooby-dooby-dooby
Listen

Somethin's goin' wrong
Is it in the homes?
Kids killing kids
Ain't nothing sacred

They take guns to school
And break all the rules
It's a shame the way
That we're living, ah yeah

They're fighting in Bosnia
And starving in Somalia
From free loving days
And now there is AIDS
Our values have changed
People acting strange
You have to watch your back
Babies born on crack, oh

The error of our ways
Can we correct
The mistakes we've made?
I hope it's not too late
God only knows our fate
The error of our ways
Let's hope for a better day
Something's got to change
Let us pray

Error of our...
Families accused of child abuse
You don't know
Who's telling the truth
Society is like a sore
That needs curing,
That's for sure

Great forests are dying
People standing in welfare lines
Ecology is unbalanced
It's a challenge
A strange situation
We lost a whole generation
The news on the air
Beware of the colors
That you wear

The police are under fire
(Oh, yes they are)
Beware where you drive
(Or you might get jacked)
We gotta make a stand
(Oh, yes we do)
'Cause things are out of hand

The error of our ways
Can we correct
The mistakes we've made?
I hope it's not too late
God only knows our fate

The error of our ways
Let's hope for a better day
Something's got to change
Let us pray

WHY?
Are there so many guns
(Tell me why?)
So much death among the young
WHY?
Oh tell me why
(Tell me why?)
It's not easy for you to see
WHY?
Can't there be any peace
(Tell me why?)
Can't we undo all the wrong
That We've done, oh yeah
WHY?
Oh it's up to you and me,
Oh oh

They're fighting in Bosnia
And starving in Somalia
From free loving days
And now there is AIDS
Our values have changed
(Oh)
People acting strange
(Yeah)
You have to watch your back
(Oh yeah)
Babies born on crack

The error of our ways
Can we correct
The mistakes we've made?
I hope it's not too late
God only knows our fate

The error of our ways
Let's hope for a better day
Something's got to change
Let us pray

The error of our ways
Can we correct
the mistakes we've made?
I hope it's not too late
God only knows our fate

The error of our ways
Let's hope for a better day
Something's got to change
Let us pray

1970, Written by
Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong;
Performed by The Temptations 1970, Written and Performed by
Curtis Mayfield 1994, Written by Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, and Dennis Nelson;
Performed by The Temptations

Notably, back in 1963, I wrote . . .

Nothing changes. Nothing ever changes . . .

I welcome your feedback.

Trip Reynolds
trip.reynolds@yahoo.com

First Amendment to the United States Constitution - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.