The racial cooperation, it’s quickly eroding

Blacks protestin, much forebodin’

And it doesn’t help the world when whites are gloatin’

You don’t believe in Negroes, but you say it’s them we should be promotin’

And both black and white supremacists I’ve seen you quotin’

But you tell me

Over and over and over again, my friend

Ah, you so believe

We’re on the eve

of construction

I don’t think you understand what Malcolm was tryin’ to say

Or if the world’s Negroes preferred Johnson or RFK

If the blacks rose together in violence, we’d be done for today

 Without helping the ex-slaves, our future will be grave

But you tell me

Over and over and over again, my friend

Ah, you so believe

We’re on the eve

of construction

The blacks’ blood is so mad feels like coagulatin’

Some are striving towards total integration

While others fight for complete isolation

But what they all want is some good legislation

For their protests alone don’t bring the government motivation

To go ahead and help the current situation

Why must this world be so fricken frustrating?

But you tell me

Over and over and over again, my friend

Ah, you so believe

We’re on the eve

of construction

Think of all the hate there is in the ghettos of Harlem

Then take a trip throughout the deep southern states

You may think that your idea’s a hole in the ace

But I don’t think you understand the whole human race

If this is to succeed, the past you will have to erase

Good relations between all races will have to come quite apace

In order to make this world a better place

And… tell me over and over and over again, my friend

You so believe

We’re on the eve

Of construction

Mm, no no, you so believe

We’re on the eve

of construction.