Curtis Mayfield made his first impression on music as a member of the Impressions in the 1960s, writing and recording such hits as “It’s All Right” and “I’m So Proud.” He began his solo career in 1970 but really hit his stride in 1972 with the soundtrack to Superfly.
His sound was completely unique, part gospel, part funk, part street, part Heaven, all soul. Mayfield’s artistry circled around what was going on in his life, in his world, and his time. Today we hear a very strange tale from his 1974 album Sweet Exorcist.
There’s a martial arts craze going on, so he spins a tale about a kid from the ghetto, living a hard life, made even harder by the fact that he was named Kung Fu.
Our days of comfort, days of night
Don't put yourself in solitude
Who can I trust with my life
When people tend to be so rude?
My mama borned me in a ghetto
There was no mattress for my head
But, no, she couldn't call me Jesus
I wasn't white enough, she said
And then she named me, (y'all), Kung Fu
Don't have to explain it, no, Kung Fu
Don't know how you'll take it, (here), Kung Fu
I'm just trying to make it, (love), Kung Fu
I've got some babies and some sisters
My brother worked for Uncle Sam
It's just a shame, ain't it, Mister?
We being brothers of the damned
But loving brings about a difference
You are my love...I do believe
Shall we join hands for tomorrow?
Don't carry nothin' up your sleeve
Keep your head high, Kung Fu
I will 'til I die, yeah, Kung Fu
Don't be too intense, no, Kung Fu
Keep your common sense, yeah, Kung Fu
Don't be mistaken for a secret
There is no secret part of you
You bet your life if you think wicked (don't think wicked child)
Someone else is thinking wicked, too
Keep your head high, Kung Fu
I will 'til I die, yeah, Kung Fu
Don't be too intense, no, Kung Fu
Keep your common sense, yeah, Kung Fu
Our days of comfort, days of night
Don't put yourself in solitude
Who can I trust with my life
When people tend to be so rude?
My mama borned me in a ghetto
There was no mattress for my head
But, no, she couldn't name me Jesus
I wasn't white enough, she said
And then she named me, (y'all), Kung Fu
Don't have to explain it, no, Kung Fu
Don't know how you'll take it, (here), Kung Fu
I'm just trying to make it, (love), Kung Fu
(y'all), Kung Fu
Yeah, Kung Fu
DONT LET THE SUMMER PASS WITHOUT MAKING A SPLASH IN 1983!
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