Sylvester Stewart

Todd Snider

Names

Food and Drink

Numbers

Clothing/Apparel

Money

Hip Hop

1993

Here, have a dollar,
in fact no brotherman here, have two
Two dollars means a snack for me,
but it means a big deal to you
Be strong, serve God only,
know that if you do, beautiful heaven awaits
That's the poem I wrote for the first time
I saw a man with no clothes, no money, no plate
Mr.Wendal, that's his name,
no one ever knew his name cause he's a no-one
Never thought twice about spending on a ol' bum,
until I had the chance to really get to know one
Now that I know him, to give him money isn't charity
He gives me some knowledge, I buy him some shoes
And to think blacks spend all that money on big colleges,
still most of y'all come out confused

[CHORUS:]
Go ahead, Mr.Wendal (2x)

Mr.Wendal has freedom,
a free that you and I think is dumb
Free to be without the worries of a quick to diss society
for Mr.Wendal's a bum
His only worries are sickness
and an occasional harassment by the police and their chase
Uncivilized we call him,
but I just saw him eat off the food we waste
Civilization, are we really civilized, yes or no ?
Who are we to judge ?
When thousands of innocent men could be brutally enslaved
and killed over a racist grudge
Mr.Wendal has tried to warn us about our ways
but we don't hear him talk
Is it his fault when we've gone too far,
and we got too far, cause on him we walk
Mr.Wendal, a man, a human in flesh,
but not by law
I feed you dignity to stand with pride,
realize that all in all you stand tall

[CHORUS]

Mr.Wendal, Lord, Mr.Wendal

Sylvester Stewart

Todd A Thomas

Clothing/Apparel

Body

Memories/Nostalgia

Hip Hop

1992

See I was resting at the park minding my own,
Business as I kick up the treble tone,
On my radio tape player box, right,
Just loud enough so folks could hear it's hype, see ?

Outta nowhere comes the woman I'm dating,
Investigation maybe she was demonstrating,
But nevertheless I was pleased,
My day was going great and my soul was at ease,
Until a group of brothers started bugging out,
Drinking the 40 oz, going the nigga route,
Disrespecting my black queen,
Holding their crotches and being obscene.
At first I ignored them cause see I know their type,
They got drunk and got guns and they wanna fight,
And they see a young couple having a time that's good,
And their egos wanna test a brother's manhood,
So they came to test Speech cause of my hair-do,
And the loud bright colors that I wear (Boo !).
I was a target cause I'm a fashion misfit (Misfit!),
And the outfit that I'm wearing brothers dissing it.
Well I stay calm and pray the niggaz leave me be,
But they're squeezing parts of my date's anatomy,
Why, Lord, do brothers have to drill me ?
Cause if I start to hit this man they'll have to kill me,
See!

I am everyday people
I am everyday people

I told the niggaz please let us pass, friend.
I said please cause I don't like killing Africans,
But he wouldn't stop and I ain't Ice Cube,
But I had to take the brother out for being rude,
And like I said before I was mad by then.
It took three or four cops to pull me off of him,
But that's the story y'all of a black man,
Acting like a nigga and get stomped by an African,
Ya see.

I am everyday people
I am everyday people