"The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and The Range:
The song's discussion of the troubled economy and race relations resonated with the American public and it remains Hornsby's best known song. Beautiful. Not only pleasant to listen but thought provoking. The chorus presents several lines insisting that social ills are "just the way it is", and repeatedly suggests resigning oneself to them as a fact of life. However, the chorus ends with the Bruce Hornsby rebukes this attitude by insisting "ah, but don't you believe them."
The Way It Is
~ Bruce Hornsby And The Range. 1986
~ Bruce Hornsby And The Range. 1986
Standing in line marking time--
Waiting for the welfare dime
'Cause they can't buy a job
The man in the silk suit hurries by
As he catches the poor old ladies' eyes
Just for fun he says "Get a job"
That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
But don't you believe them
They say hey little boy you can't go
Where the others go
'Cause you don't look like they do
Said hey old man how can you stand
To think that way
Did you really think about it
Before you made the rules
He said, Son
That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
But don't you believe them
Well they passed a law in '64
To give those who ain't got a little more
But it only goes so far
Because the law another's mind
When all it sees at the hiring time
Is the line on the color bar
That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
But don't you believe them
