Lyrics - Sing for Dr. King!
- Walk A Mile
- Martin's Heart
- That Is A Mighty Power
- Look A Little Deeper
- Step Up! Speak Out!
- The Way You Say It
- Some Rights In This World
- Martin Is Calling
- People Are A Rainbow
- Freedom Riders Got To Ride
- Talking 'Bout A Put-Down
- Tear Down The Walls
- A World United
- This Little Light Of Mine
Walk A Mile
By Jan Nigro © 1987 Janimation Music BMI
CHORUS:
I want to walk a mile in your shoes,
I want to walk a mile in your shoes,
I want to know what you think and what you feel,
So I really want to walk-a mile in your shoes!
CHORUS
Remember that fight that we had?
Why did we both have to lose?
It's because we both walked away mad,
Instead of walking a mile in each other's shoes!
CHORUS
You hear how the world is a mess
Whenever you turn on the news,
But all countries could have happiness,
If they'd be walking a mile in each others shoes!
CHORUS
Tempers start to cool down,
A frown turns into a smile.
Anger cannot be found
When you're wearing their shoes
And you're walking that mile!
CHORUS (three times)
Martin's Heart
By Jan Nigro © 2011 Janimation Music BMI
When Dr. King was just a boy he learned about black and white,
And about the laws that took away black people's civil rights.
He fought for what he knew to be fair and great truth flowed from him.
He said, "We should be judged by our character, not the color of our skin."
The right to vote was guaranteed to everyone in the nation,
But there were folks who were trying to stop black voter registration.
To Selma Martin went to march and thousands did arrive,
This is what lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965!
CHORUS:
He had a heart so big, it covered the land,
It covered every child, woman and man,
His legs kept a walkin,'
His voice kept a talkin,'
Because he had a heart so big!
Martin's heart went out to the poor so he questioned the government,
"Why is so much money going to the war, but on poverty so little is spent?"
He would not silence what he felt, he spoke out fearlessly.
He said, "Fighting this war is a waste and a shame. Let's fight the war on poverty!"
CHORUS
Most people know that Martin died in Memphis Tennessee.
Not everybody knows why he was there.
Helping sanitation workers get a living wage and their rights,
Right up to the end he was fighting the good fight!
CHORUS, then:
His legs kept a walkin,'
His voice kept a talkin,'
Because he had a heart so big!
That Is A Mighty Power
By Jan Nigro © 1990 Janimation Music BMI
You don't have to be a millionaire
To give something of worth,
If you give someone a helping hand,
You give a treasure to this earth, yeah,
You give a treasure to this earth.
You don't have to be a genius,
Or a standout at playing ball,
If you stand up for a friend in need,
You know you're really standing tall, yeah,
You know you're really standing tall.
Tell me, what will you offer today,
To the people passing your way?
You don't have to be perfection,
To move things in the right direction!
CHORUS:
If you bring a smile to just one face
That is a mighty power!
Because you've brought the world to a brighter place
That is a mighty power!
If you add a little love to your own little space,
You add to the love of the whole human race
And that is a mighty power,
That is a mighty power.
You don't have to lift a mountain,
To show what you can do.
A kind word can lift a sinking heart,
And that's a mighty power to, yeah
That's a mighty power too.
You don't have to wait forever,
To show what you can be.
With an open heart and open eyes,
You're gonna see an opportunity, right now,
You're gonna see an opportunity.
It's all around, you don't have to look far,
For a chance to show who you are.
You've got the power every day,
In what you do and what you say!
CHORUS (twice), then:
We've all got the mighty power,
That is a mighty power! (twice)
Look A Little Deeper
By Jan Nigro © 1990 Janimation Music BMI
Some people say that they can't see
This world as one big family.
That we look too different from each other,
To think of ourselves as sisters and brothers.
But if they'd look deeper they would find
That we all need love and peace of mind,
Our hopes, our dreams, our fears, our pride,
The family resemblance is on the inside.
CHORUS:
Tell me oh...oh what do you see,
When you look at me?
Look a little deeper with your heart,
Look a little deeper with your mind,
Look a little deeper, you may find
A piece of yourself in me.
In distant places, foreign shores,
In different faces unlike yours,
It means the same thing all around
When smiles light up or tears fall down.
So come on now let's look and see
What makes us all one family,
Beneath the surface the inside story,
It's a thing of wonder and glory!
CHORUS (three times)
Step Up! Speak Out!
By Jan Nigro © 2011 Janimation Music BMI
You may see injustice in your neighborhood,
You may see injustice in school.
If it's right there in front of you.
The question is whatcha gonna do?
The question is whatcha gonna do?
It may be somebody who is up to no good.
Pickin' on a girl or guy.
Deep inside you know it's not okay,
The question is whatcha gonna say?
The question is whatcha gonna say?
When you know in your deepest heart
What you're seeing is wrong,
Silence isn't golden,
What's golden is that you are strong!
CHORUS:
Step up speak out make some kind of move!
Don't just walk away there's no time to lose!
Get some help if you feel you need to!
Show what you got, cause you gotta come through!
You may see injustice cause of someone's race
Their religion or where they're from.
The way they talk, their personality,
The question is how you gonna be?
The question is how you gonna be?
You may see wrong against folks you don't know
But in the human family,
They are brothers and sisters to you,
The question is whatcha gonna do?
The question is whatcha gonna do?
It's not always easy to speak up,
You might start to shake.
And you might get put down,
But it's a chance you've got to take!
CHORUS, then:
You gotta come through! Somebody's countin' on you! You gotta come through!
The Way You Say It
By Jan Nigro © 1994 Janimation Music BMI
Everyday all of us have to speak,
And we can make it a beautiful thing.
You can sound like a crow, but hey
don't you know,
People would rather hear a nightingale sing.
You can say it soft, you can say it sweet,
And they're gonna love your voice.
Or you can say it rude with an attitude,
And they're gonna run from the noise.
You can say it kind and you just might find
That you're welcome most any place.
Or you can say it mean, make a real bad scene,
Doors will close right in your face!
We've got to use some style and grace!
CHORUS:
It makes a world of difference each day,
The way you say the things you say.
It makes a world of difference each day,
The way that you say it, uh-huh, oh yeah!
The way that you say it, uh-huh, oh yeah!
You can say it weak, almost barely speak,
Say it halfway and in between.
Or say it with control with a lot of soul,
And they'll know just what you mean.
It'll charm their ear every time they hear,
A voice like a melody.
But if you screech and scream then
it's gonna seem,
Like your words are all off key.
Well, the truth's so easy to see.
CHORUS
If you say "Get out da way! Gimme dis! Gimme dat!"
You're gonna sound like a pushy cat.
Personally I think you and me
Can do a lot better than that.
CHORUS (twice)
Some Rights In This World
By Jan Nigro © 1994 Janimation Music BMI
CHORUS: (twice)
I've got some rights, some rights in this world.
You've got some rights, some rights in this world.
Just by being born, every boy and girl,
Automatically got some rights in this world.
I must be free to think my thoughts,
And to say what I must say,
To believe in what I believe,
And I don't believe that anyone should take it all away yeah!
CHORUS
I need to feel safe in the streets,
And at home and school everyday.
I've got to love who I naturally love,
And if someone tells me different, this is what I'm gonna say hey!
CHORUS
Now there are places on this earth,
Where people are not treated fair.
No, they don't have the rights they deserve,
So let's sing this song for everybody
everywhere, yeah!
CHORUS (three times)
Martin Is Calling
By Jan Nigro © 2011 Janimation Music BMI
Martin was a king and an angel too.
He began his journey in this life
Much like me and you.
But when the call to justice came
No, he did not turn away,
Martin was a king and an angel, too.
Martin was a lion and a lamb.
He roared the words that shook the world,
More than any cannon can.
From his soul poured the poetry
Of justice and humanity,
Martin was a lion and a lamb.
Did he grab a gun and fire...(NO!)
Did he hate his enemy? (No, no!)
He called to every woman and man,
To walk the high road hand in hand!
CHORUS:
Martin is calling, hear your hearts!
Martin is calling fan that spark!
Then you'll rise and rise and you will not stop
Till you join Martin on the mountain top!
Martin's love's still lifting up this world,
To live and die in service of the light
Is life's most precious pearl!
And every soul can choose to be
A light for all humanity,
Martin's love's still lifting up this world!
Did he grab a gun and fire...(NO!)
Did he hate his enemy? (No, no!)
He called to every woman and man,
To walk the high road hand in hand!
CHORUS, then:
Martin is calling, oh Martin is calling!
Then you'll rise and rise and you will not stop
Till you join Martin, till you join Martin on the mountain top!
People Are A Rainbow
By Jan Nigro © 1987 Janimation Music BMI
I love the blue color of the sky,
It brings me happiness.
But if everything I saw were blue,
I'd enjoy that color less.
And there's the red color of the rose,
Such beauty it can claim.
But if this whole wide world were red,
The rose wouldn't seem the same.
CHORUS:
And what could be more lovely than a rainbow?
Life is a rainbow, so beautiful to see!
People are a rainbow, that's how it's meant to be!
Life that's not a rainbow, that would be a shame.
I'm so glad that we're not all the same!
Throughout the world, people everywhere,
With different shades of skin,
Like different colored wrapping paper,
To wrap the hearts within.
Throughout the world, there are ways of life,
So wonderful to see.
The whole beauty of creation...
Is its great variety.
CHORUS
Freedom Riders Got To Ride
By Jan Nigro © 2011 Janimation Music BMI
The law it had been laid down for equality,
But some southern states did not agree.
Races must be separate on the bus they did say,
And at stations all along the way.
The Freedom Riders came, challenging these wrongs,
Bonded by a will that was so strong.
The year was '61 when the first bus left D.C.
Riding to demand equality.
Angry mobs were waiting, hearts filled with hate,
Hands filled with weapons but the riders did not hesitate!
CHORUS:
Freedom Riders got to ride,
Only the brave can step inside.
They paid their fare with courage and sacrifice.
Freedom Riders got on the bus,
Changin' the world for all of us.
It was a rough ride, but a righteous story,
When they rode that bus to glory!
Down in Alabama, met by vicious foes,
Black and white together took the blows.
Down in Mississippi they were thrown in jail,
But their will stayed strong, they would not fail!
More Freedom Rides began, more buses came on through,
The government watched and the world did, too.
Dr King spoke out, other leaders did as well,
As outrage in the world began to swell.
Finally the government stepped in to end this segregation,
And the Freedom Riders' actions forever changed this nation!
CHORUS, then:
When they rode that bus, when they rode that bus, when they rode that bus, to glory!
We want to thank you! We won't forget you... You were ready to die for justice!
We want to honor all of the riders... Your courage was amazing!
You're an inspiration for every generation... You've got a place in history!
We want to thank you... We won't forget you ... When they rode that bus to Glory!
Talking 'Bout A Put-Down
By Jan Nigro © 1990 Janimation Music BMI
How bad can it be? I always hear it on T.V.
Who says it's not cool? I always hear it at school.
It can't be so bad, I learned it from my Dad.
There's some real mean words
That keep going around and around,
And it really hurts when you hear their awful sound.
'Bout your clothes and your nose and your hair,
'Bout your Mama, oh, its hard to bear,
How you walk and talk, and where you live in town...
You know I'm talkin' 'bout a put-down,
P-P-P Put-down.
CHORUS:
Put-down, it's a contribution,
Put-down, to noise pollution.
I want to fill the air with a healthier sound
Than a p-put-down!
Why do people put each other down at all?
Do we really look bigger
When we make someone else look small?
Maybe you don't feel so good yourself,
So you take it out on somebody else.
Or maybe just for kicks, you're kicking
someone around...
You know I'm talking 'bout a put-down,
P-P-P Put-Down!
CHORUS
Maybe it's not bad intentions,
Maybe you talk without thinking things through,
But words have power, you better get hip,
Cause a slip of the lip can sink a friendship!
A slip of the lip can sink a friendship!
I'm gonna choose my words,
gonna choose them carefully.
'Cause what I choose to say about you
says a lot about me.
I'm gonna find a better way to express
what I need to say,
'Cause I know its true, a better way can be found,
NO, I don't need to use a put-down,
P-P-P Put-down!
CHORUS (twice), second chorus ends with:
I want to clear the air; come on let's clean up this town!
You know, it really isn't that cool,
Yeah, I don't have to use put-downs.
The air is getting clearer already!
Tear Down The Walls
By Jan Nigro © 1991 Janimation Music BMI
There are walls of concrete, walls of steel,
But the thickest ones you'll find,
Are the walls that people put up
In their hearts and in their minds.
Walls because of different skin
Or the features on a persons face,
Walls because of their religion,
Their language or native place.
The more walls you put around you,
The more walls are gonna block your view!
CHORUS:
Tear down...tear down the walls!
Love flows freely when they fall.
In your heart can't you hear that call,
To tear down, tear down the walls.
You may have heard of good old Joshua
At the battle of Jericho,
And how those walls did crumble
When the horns began to blow.
Well, we're all modern day Joshua's,
But we've got a different battleground
When we win the battle in our hearts,
The walls come a-tumbling down.
The battle over ignorance and fear,
Love can make them both disappear!
CHORUS, then break, then:
CHORUS (four times)
A World United
By Jan Nigro © 1991 Janimation Music BMI
If Earth was attacked by monsters from outer space,
Would we pull together as a human race?
Oh tell me, is that what would have to take place,
For us to be a world united?
And if the law of gravity changed today,
So that things on Earth began to float away,
Then maybe every country would start to say,
We better think as a world united!
CHORUS:
We don't need catastrophe,
For us to see that we're all family.
Respect and understanding,
that's what could bond us,
It's not beyond us, I believe it... I believe it!
And if one day the sun decided to leave,
And the whole world over people started to freeze,
Oh tell me, would every nation then say "Please!,
We've got to think as a world united!"
CHORUS
And if nations feel the challenge to go to war,
Let us see the day when they will say "NO MORE!"
Oh let's accept the greater challenge and explore,
The ways to be a world united!
Oh we could be a world united!
This Little Light Of Mine
By Harry Dixon Loes with additional lyrics by Jan and Janice Nigro © 2012 Janimation Music BMI
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!
Everywhere I go, I'm gonna let it shine!
Everywhere I go, I'm gonna let it shine!
Everywhere I go, I'm gonna let it shine!
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!
With people that I love a lot, I'm gonna let it shine!
With strangers too, I'll tell you what, I'm gonna let it shine!
Turn it off, well, I will not, I'm gonna let it shine!
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!
Starting with my family, I'm gonna let it shine
Then in my community I'm gonna let it shine
Then for all humanity, I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!