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The Black One

by Stew

on Passing Strange (Original Broadway Cast Recording / Live) (2008)

[NARRATOR]
Who lends the club that speakeasy air?
The Black One
The Black One
Who dances like a God and has wunderbar hair?
Der Schwarze

Now he's the life of every soiree
He'll give the bum's rush to your ennui
Turn up these light cause I barely can see
The Black One

Is he the post-modern lawn jockey sculpture?

[DESI]
Ze Black One

[NARRATOR]
The Black One

Or just a soul on a roll
Exploding your culture
That black one

[YOUTH]
An artist creates surfaces-

[NARRATOR]
And then comes the fee
He's doing the same thing

[YOUTH]
Except I call the surface me

[DESI]
He's dancing in a cage!

[YOUTH]
But I'm the one with the key!

[NARRATOR]
And he's the Black One

He's the real voice of America
And Berlin listen closely:
Speaking as a Negro from "There-ica"
He was automatically

[YOUTH]
Am I Real now?

[NARRATOR]
An expert on its evil

[GIRLFRIEND]
Can he feel now?

[NARRATOR]
An authority on its crimes

[YOUTH]
Am I Real now?

[NARRATOR]
And he can wax lyrical
His knowledge was almost empirical
Of oppression from the present back to slavery times

[YOUTH]
Ya-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-yea!

[GERMAN ARTISTS]
Who lets us know zat we're in ze right place?
Ze Black One
Ze Black One
Who's got ze Times painted right on his face?
Ze Black One!

He's living truth 'cause his life is a dare
In L.A. had two left feet
Our Berlin Fred Astaire
He's so down to earth when he's moonwalking on air

[DESI]
Just cause he's ze black one!

[YOUTH]
I'm the ghetto warrior - yowza!

[NARRATOR]
Oh, the LAPD never thought he was that cute
but now a squad of ice queens are in hot pursuit

[YOUTH]
I'm Superfly in the buttermilk

[FEMALE GERMAN ARTIST]
And we find him sehr gut!

[YOUTH]
'Cause I'm the Black One

[SUDABEY, spoken]
I envy you so much. I want to be re-incarcerated as a black man!

[NARRATOR, sung]
Oh, yeah!