the way it is

Bruce Hornsby and the Range occupied the top of the charts with this bright and jazzy reflection on poverty and racism. 'The Way It Is' was the title track of their triple platinum debut album. Hornsby says: "'Some things will never change' is a statement of resignation, but the most important line in that song is the one that comes after that: 'But don't you believe 'em.' So I've always been about being strong when resignation is a possibility. Trying to pull up from that and have a positive outlook so that things can change. That's a song about the civil rights era: 'They passed a law in '64 to give those who ain't got a little more'." 'The Way It Is' was a number one smash in Canada, the Netherlands, and the US, leading to a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1987.









http://www.brucehornsby.com/













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 don't change 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,
thats just the way it is, it is,it is, it is





'The Way It Is'
full album:

https://open.spotify.com/album/243jhZJtyIZtEkrD6vhRLn



Tracks 2 and 5 written by Bruce Hornsby; all other songs written by Bruce Hornsby and John Hornsby.
1. "On the Western Skyline"   4:42
2. "Every Little Kiss"   5:47
3. "Mandolin Rain"   5:18
4. "The Long Race"   4:22
5. "The Way It Is"   4:56
6. "Down the Road Tonight"   4:25
7. "The Wild Frontier"   4:02
8. "The River Runs Low"   4:26
9. "The Red Plains"   5:00