Well,

you

won-

der

why

I

al

-

ways

dress

in

black,

Why

you

ne-

ver

see

bright

co

-

lors

on

my

back,

And

why

does

my

ap-

pea-

rance

seem

to

have

a

som-

ber

tone.

Well,

there's

a

rea-

son

for

the

things

that

I

have

on.

I

wear

the

black

for

poor

and

the

beaten

down,

Li-

vin'

in

the

hope-

less,

hun-

gry

side

of

town,

I

wear

it

for

the

priso-

ner

who

has

long

paid

for

his

crime,

But

is

there

be-

cause

he's

a

vic-

tim

of

the

times.

I

wear

the

black

for

those

who

ne-

ver

read,

Or

lis-

tened

to

the

words

that

Je-

sus

said,

A-

bout

the

road

to

hap-

piness

through

the

love

and

cha-

ri-

ty,

Why,

you'd

think

He's

tal-

king

straight

to

you

and

me.

Well,

we're

do-

in'

migh-

ty

fine,

I

do

sup-

pose,

In

our

streak

of

light-

nin'

cars

and

fan-

cy

clothes,

But

just

so

we're

re-

min

-

ded

of

the

ones

who

are

held

back,

Up

front

there

ought

'a

be

a

Man

In

Black.

I

wear

it

for

the

sick

and

lone-

ly

old,

For

the

reck-

less

ones

whose

bad

trip

left

them

cold,

I

wear

the

black

in

mour-

nin'

for

the

lives

that

could

have

been,

Each

week

we

lose

a

hund-

red

fine

young

men.

And,

I

wear

it

for

the

thou-

sands

who

have

died,

Be-

lie-

ven'

that

the

Lord

was

on

their

side,

I

wear

it

for

a-

no

-

ther

hund-

red

thou-

sand

who

have

died,

Be-

lie-

ven'

that

we

all

were

on

their

side.

Well,

there's

things

that

ne-

ver

will

be

right

I

know,

And

things

need

chan-

gin'

e-

very-

where

you

go,

But

'til

we

start

to

make

a

move

to

make

a

few

things

right,

You'll

ne-

ver

see

me

wear

a

suit

of

white.

Ah,

I'd

love

to

wear

a

rain

-

bow

eve-

ry

day,

And

tell

the

world

that

eve-

ry-

thing's

O

-

K,

But

I'll

try

to

car-

ry

off

a

little

dark-

ness

on

my

back,

'Till

things

are

brigh-

ter,

I'm

the

Man

In

Black