Do You Remember Overtown?

Do you remember Overtown,
Before it was an Overtown,
Long before the epidemics
Came in and slowed us down?

Crack, cocaine, heroin,
And the infamous crystal meth,
Broke us down to where,
We cried for it with our last breath.

But there was a time,
When we had a better day,
We gave all Muhammad Ali,
Two years after we got Cassius Clay.

We had such good times,
The Lyric Theatre before silence
Gave sound to Ella, and Miles
With the aide of some violins.

Do you remember Overtown,
Before it was an Overtown,
Long before the epidemics
Came in and mowed us down?

Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Herpes,
And the biggest treat H.I.V.
Brought to us a new low
To where we only grieve.

But there was a time,
When we lived the high life,
We had Sir John and Mary Elizabeth
For Jackie Robinson and his wife.

We still have the pride of
St. John Bapist and Greater Bethel A.M.E
Where each member is filled with love
Beyond a milieu in the state of poverty.

Do you remember Overtown,
Before it was an Overtown,
Long before the epidemics
Came in and crowed us down?

Do you remember Overtown
And Cola Nip's Soda Water?
There will always be a place down
In my heart for Overtown, Florida.