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Close friend of mine as a child fell into a slumber
No sign of life since ’75
Then one day he just, what do you know
I guess God just called his number
He called me up he called me up and said
“I’ve been awake about a week
I’m thinking about asking the doctor
If he could put me back to sleep”
Then he laughed and said
“Hey all the girls they look the same”
Don’t they know just what their mothers
Paid in blood, and tears to change
But the words that made me cry
The thing he softly said
It stayed with me, it keeps messing with my head
He said, “If Jesus Christ is alive and well
Then how come John and Elvis are dead?”

Youth, beautiful youth
We walked through the walls until we found the truth
And said “Change it, it’s ugly just change it”
Everyone we used to know
Must have given up, so long ago
You can see it, it’s written on their faces
And the inside of their clothes
But the words that made me cry
‘Cause I knew just what they meant
He turned to me and said
“Hey boy, if Jesus Christ is alive and well
Then how come John and Elvis are dead?”
“Tell me if Jesus Christ is alive and well
Then how come Marvin and Elvis are dead?”
I said “If Jesus Christ is going to save us from ourselves
How come peace, love and Elvis are dead?”

Writer Carvell Wallace has described the struggle this way: “Having black skin but liking white things is a little like walking on a tightrope … You have white friends with whom you can never talk about race but you avoid groups of black people because you fear they will hear what’s in your headphones and call you out as a traitor.”

If sleep is indeed the cousin of death, coffee is the cool uncle that lets you stay up past your bedtime.