I Am a Racist

[Chorus]
I am a racist
And of this there's little doubt
Black and brown faces
They make me nervous when it's dark out
Now I don't wanna be this way
But what can I say?
This is how America raised me
To always be afraid
Don't take the blame
You're probably exactly the same

[Verse 1]
In college I had a black friend
He was cool and if you asked him
What it was like to be a black man
He would laugh and say let's pretend
That every single person you see out on the street
Thinks you're carrying a gun or a knife
Yeah, that's what it's like
Every single day of my life
I said come on don't you think that's a little dramatic
And he just shook his head
Yeah, that's what the cops said

[Chorus]
I am a racist
And of this there's little doubt
Black and brown faces
They make me nervous when it's dark out
Now I don't wanna be this way
But what can I say?
This is how America raised me
To always be afraid
Don't take the blame
You're probably exactly the same

[Verse 2]
I can't clean my apartment
Sometimes I have to outsource it
That's when Carlos and Zoe come
To do the job that I can't get done
Oh, but before they arrive I'll go and hide
Valuable things I don't want them to find
Cos you never know the lengths to which some desperate people go
Then one time I found one hundred dollars on my couch
With a note that kindly read:
I found this under your bed

[Chorus]
I am a racist
And of this there's little doubt
Black and brown faces
They make me nervous when it's dark out
Now I don't wanna be this way
But what can I say?
This is how America raised me
To always be afraid
Don't try to change
You're probably exactly the same

[Bridge]
I fought it desperately
Cos I just could not believe that it was so easy
To see people differently
I looked at other things to blame
And cast down their names in shame
But the problem always ended in the same place
And that place was me

[Pre-Chorus]
I am a racist
And of this there's little doubt
But I'm trying to change it
Every time it rears its head about
Cos I don't wanna be this way
No matter what you say
I know the damage and the role that I've played
So I'll take the blame
Seems like a good place to start anyway

[Chorus]
I am a racist, yes
And I can't escape it, yeah
[?]
I am a racist, yes
And I can't escape it, yeah
[?]
Ooh, I am a racist, yes
And I can't escape it, yeah