Ever Dazed People

The Summer of Soul documentary celebrates the riveting Black excellence of the Harlem Cultural Festival that happened in the summer of 1969. The same summer as Woodstock. Until now, only Woodstock had been remembered all these years. In an art imitating life moment, the documentary wins an Oscar. Woodstocked by another big event! Once again, Black excellence, slapped away from history. This is me lamenting this moment. To the tune of “Everyday People” by Sly and the Family Stone – who performed in 1969 at the Harlem Cultural Festival.

Chris Rock might be right, Will Smith might be wrong
Our own belief is the one that’s strong
The comic, the woman, the masculine men
Makes the documentary stay hidden

We are the ever dazed people, yeah, yeah

There is a true one who can’t accept
The mean one for living with
A bad one tryin’ to be a good one
Different jokes meant different strokes
And so on and so on, the show must now go on

oooh sha sha
We gonna sit together

They should know better, and so should you
We’re all the same, whatever we do
We love us, We hate us
We know us and them
But we can’t figure out the bag we’re in

We are the ever dazed people, yeah, yeah

There is a long hair
Shows no respect for short hair
We’re looking at the rich ones
This will not help the poor one
Different jokes meant different strokes
And so on and so on, the show must now go on

oooh sha sha
We gonna sit together

There is a Black one that came up with a white one
Walking beside an Asian one
To celebrate the gold one

But

Different jokes meant different strokes
And so on and so on, the show must now go on

oooh sha sha

We are an ever dazed people