We Built This City

You chained our ankles and we worked to the beat Pained with ulcers and infections, we stepped with rhythm in our feet To substitute for abolishment, for petty crimes and ones we didn't commit Pipelined us through a system society would soon forget Convict leasing, clever way to make us slaves again Snatch our aspirations, have our confidence cave again You didn't anticipate that it would In turn manifest a brotherhood Bound by chains at dusk - at dawn But your Black Codes couldn't suffocate this Black man's song Gandy Dancers and Line Bar Gangs Erected your highways, assembled railroads for your trains Humming melodies that caught the white man's eye Had them craving the sounds that kept our spirits high Bill Haley songs sound a lot like the chain gang And "Jailhouse Rock" bore the sentiments of our pain But there was no "rock" in jail We were made to "rot" in jail Under conditions you couldn't fathom Your roads, bridges and highways-you wouldn't have 'em So "I-Don't-Know-What-You-Been-Told" But WE built this city, AND Rock and Roll