We Shall Be Free Lyrics
This ain't comin' from no prophet
Just an ordinary man
When I close my eyes I see, the way this world shall be
When we all walk hand in hand
[Verse 1]
When the last child cries for a crust of bread
When the last man dies for just words that he said
When there's shelter over the poorest head
We shall be free
[Verse 2]
When the last thing we notice is the color of skin
And the first thing we look for is the beauty within
When the skies and the oceans are clean again
Then we shall be free
[Chorus: Garth Brooks, Garth Brooks & Choir]
We shall be free
We shall be free
Stand straight, walk proud
'Cause we shall be free
[Verse 3]
When we're free to love anyone we choose
When this world's big enough for all different views
When we all can worship from our own kind of pew
Then we shall be free, yeah
We shall be free
We shall be free
Have a little faith, hold out
'Cause we shall be free
[Bridge: Garth Brooks, Garth Brooks & Choir]
And when money talks for the very last time
And nobody walks a step behind
When there's only one race and that's mankind
Then we shall be free
[Chorus 1: Garth Brooks, Choir, & Garth Brooks & Choir]
We shall be free
We shall be free
Stand straight
Walk proud
Have a little faith
Hold out
'Cause we shall be free
[Chorus 1: Garth Brooks, Choir, & Garth Brooks & Choir]
We shall be free
We shall be free
Stand straight
Stand straight
Have a little faith
Walk proud
'Cause we shall be free
We shall be free
We shall be free
Stand straight, walk proud
'Cause we shall be free
About
“We Shall Be Free” was released as the first single from Garth Brooks' 1992 album The Chase. It peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks, becoming his first single to miss the Top 10 on that chart due to an airplay ban from some radio stations because of the song’s controversial content.
According to Brooks, he was inspired to write the song after being in Los Angeles for the ACM Awards during the 1992 L.A. Riots.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
From the liner notes of The Hits:
“We Shall Be Free” is definitely and easily the most controversial song I have ever done. A song of love, a song of tolerance from someone who claims not to be a prophet but just an ordinary man. I never thought there would be any problems with this song. Sometimes the roads we take do not turn out to be the roads we envisioned them to be. All I can say about “We Shall Be Free” is that I will stand by every line of this song as long as I live. I am very proud of it. And I am very proud of Stephanie Davis, the writer. I hope you enjoy it and see it for what it was meant to be.
- 1.We Shall Be Free
- 3.Mr. Right
- 8.That Summer
- 10.Face to Face
