Hand Me Down Hate

I remember the first time I heard the "N word" as a kid
It came from the mouth of a red faced boy with balled up fists
When I saw how that word, touched a nerve, and the hurt in my best friend’s eyes
Shoulder to shoulder, we backed down that bully, who was twice our size

That night I asked my daddy why that boy said what he did
He said he probably learned it from his old man, who learned it from his

Chorus
Hand me down hate, is like a chain
It shackles narrow minds to generations afraid to change
But I believe love can break the links
Of hand me down hate

Now that I’m grown, the nightly news makes me ask what the hell’s going on
Someone plowed into a helpless crowd, another torched a mosque
Forty nine died in a nightclub just for flying a rainbow flag
It’s like a punch in the gut when I hear about a senseless attack

Gets me thinking ‘bout the wisdom my dad passed down to me
Maybe I can’t change this ole world, but I’ll be the change I wanna see

Repeat Chorus

oh, Love, yeah it’s love, sweet love
Some might call me dreamer, or a wishful thinker, but I still believe
Love can break the links, of hand me down hate

© 2017 Kime & Collins