Mr. Wendal
| Title | Mr. Wendal |
|---|---|
| Artist | Arrested Development |
| Album | 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of... |
| Release Date | 1992-03-24 |
| Description | “Mr. Wendal” is a classic story-telling track about the life lessons one can learn from interacting with a homeless person, inspired by several people Todd “Speech” Thomas knew who lived on the streets in Atlanta. It was the band’s third single and, like its predecessors, was internationally successful, reaching the top 10 in five countries including the UK and US. It samples drums from “Sing A Simple Song” by Sly & The Family Stone Arrested Development donated half of the proceeds of “Mr. Wendal” to the National Coalition For the Homeless in the United States. For a similar theme in a modern track, see Kendrick Lamar’s “How Much a Dollar Cost.” |
| Lyrics | Here, have a dollar In fact, no brotherman - here, have two Two dollars means a snack for me But it means a big deal to you Be strong, serve God only Know that if you do, beautiful heaven awaits That's the poem I wrote for the first time I saw a man with no clothes, no money, no plate Mr. Wendal, that's his name No one ever knew his name cause he's a no-one Never thought twice about spending on a ol' bum Until I had the chance to really get to know one Now that I know him, to give him money isn't charity He gives me some knowledge, I buy him some shoes And to think blacks spend all that money on big colleges Still most of y'all come out confused Go ahead, Mr. Wendal Go ahead, Mr. Wendal Mr. Wendal has freedom A free that you and I think is dumb Free to be without the worries of a quick to diss society For Mr. Wendal's a bum His only worries are sickness And an occasional harassment by the police and their chase Uncivilized we call him But I just saw him eat off the food we waste Civilization, are we really civilized, yes or no Who are we to judge When thousands of innocent men could be brutally enslaved And killed over a racist grudge Mr. Wendal has tried to warn us about our ways But we don't hear him talk Is it his fault when we've gone too far And we got too far, cause on him we walk Mr. Wendal, a man, a human in flesh But not by law I feed you dignity to stand with pride Realize that all in all you stand tall Mr. Wendal Lord, Mr. WendalYou might also like |