Your Soul and Mine Lyrics
Standing in the ruins of another black man's life
Or flying through the valley separating day and night
"I am death!" cried the vulture. "For the people of the light."
Charon brought his raft from the sea that sails on souls
And saw the scavenger departing, taking warm hearts to the cold
He knew the ghetto was a haven for the meanest creature ever known
In the wilderness of heartbreak and a desert of despair
Evil's clarion of justice shrieks a cry of naked terror
Taking babies from their mamas, leaving grief beyond compare
So if you see the vulture coming, flying circles in your mind
Remember there is no escaping for he will follow close behind
Only promise me a battle, battle for your soul and mine
Or flying through the valley separating day and night
"I am death!" cried the vulture. "For the people of the light."
Charon brought his raft from the sea that sails on souls
And saw the scavenger departing, taking warm hearts to the cold
He knew the ghetto was a haven for the meanest creature ever known
In the wilderness of heartbreak and a desert of despair
Evil's clarion of justice shrieks a cry of naked terror
Taking babies from their mamas, leaving grief beyond compare
So if you see the vulture coming, flying circles in your mind
Remember there is no escaping for he will follow close behind
Only promise me a battle, battle for your soul and mine
About
Genius Annotation
In the fourth track of his final album, Scott-Heron reuses lyrics from a poem-song called “The Vulture” released in his 1970 album [Small Talk at 125th and Lenox}(
). The vulture is used as a symbol for evils that feed off of the misery of impoverished black communities, such as drug abuse and violence. Gil originally wrote these lyrics many years before his struggles with crack cocaine in the early 1990s.Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 3.I’m New Here
- 4.Your Soul and Mine
- 12.Running
- 13.The Crutch
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Release Date
February 8, 2010
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