To be young, gifted and black,   Oh what a lovely precious dream   To be young, gifted and black,   Open your heart to what I mean      In the whole world you know   There are billion boys and girls   Who are young, gifted and black,   And that's a fact!      Young, gifted and black   We must begin to tell our young   There's a world waiting for you   This is a quest that's just begun      When you feel really low   Yeah, there's a great truth you should know   When you're young, gifted and black   Your soul's intact      Young, gifted and black   How I long to know the truth   There are times when I look back   And I am haunted by my youth      Oh but my joy of today   Is that we can all be proud to say   To be young, gifted and black   Is where it's at       ------------------------------------------------------------------------