“You Gotta Be” is the lead single from I Ain’t Movin'. The song, according to Des'ree, is about trying to find out who you are. The single became a success worldwide, reaching the top forty in Italy, Netherlands, France, etc. It did especially well in the US where it peaked at number five on the Bil...
[Verse 1]
Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead, release your fears
Stand up and be counted
Don't be 'shamed to cry
You gotta be
[Chorus]
You gotta be bad
You gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard
You gotta be tough
You gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool
You gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know
Love will save the day
[Verse 2]
Harrowed what your mother said
Read the books your father read
Try to solve the puzzles in your own sweet time
Some may have more cash than you
Others take a different view
My, oh my, hey, hey
[Chorus]
You gotta be bad
You gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard
You gotta be tough
You gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool
You gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know
Love will save the day
[Bridge]
Time asks no questions, it goes on without you
Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace
The world keeps on spinning
Can't stop it if you try to
The best part is danger staring you in the face, whoa
[Verse 3]
Remember, listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead, release your fears
My, oh my, hey, hey
[Chorus]
You gotta be bad
You gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard
You gotta be tough
You gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool
You gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know
Love will save the day, yeah, yeah
You gotta be bad
You gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard
You gotta be tough
You gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool
You gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know
Love will save the day, yeah, yeah
[Outro]
Got to be bold
Got to be bad
Got to be wise
Do what others say
Got to be hard
Not too, too hard
All I know is love will save the day
You gotta be bad
You gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard
You gotta be tough
You gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool
You gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
Yeah
You gotta be bad
You gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard
You gotta be tough
You gotta be stronger
You Gotta Be was written by Ashley Ingram & Des’ree.
You Gotta Be was produced by Ashley Ingram.
Des’ree released You Gotta Be on Sat Apr 09 1994.
On how reading Shakti Gawain’s Creative Visualization, inspired her to write ”You Gotta Be”:
I’ve always been blindly optimistic, and that helped me rise from my melancholia."
Via EW