"Push Comes To Shove" lyrics - GIL SCOTT-HERON

Push comes to shove to find exactly what you're made of

Can nobody shame you
Can nobody scold you
Can nobody blame you,
And make you feel bad

Nobody should tie you
And tell you I told you
Nobody should ride you
About the commitments you had.

'Cause they done learned you
And they done burned you
Showed you idealistic is all you were
Everybody gotta realize
That we all had to compromise
Had to put on suit and ties
When push came to shove

(It seems like)

Push comes to shove once in your lifetime (yes and)
Push comes to shove to find out just what's on your mind
Push comes to shove to find exactly what you're made of

Nobody can know you
Nobody should tease you
Not try to rezone you
And make you feel strange
Nobody got to explain
Ain't really nothing to explain
Everything got rearranged
Can I weather a change

But they done taught you
'Cause they done caught you
Showed you unrealistic is all you were
So everybody once believed
Was only showing how naive
Gotta give up to be free
When push came to shove.

It seems like
Push comes to shove once in your lifetime (yes and)
Push comes to shove to find out just what's on your mind
Push comes to shove to find exactly what you're made of

Well, everybody knew we was somehow running late
And with the captains overboard, who was handling a ship of fate?
And all we knew was what we really did not know
And that's when push was sure 'nough coming to shove

Push comes to shove to find exactly what you're made of...

'Cause they done learned you
And they done burned you
Showed you idealistic is all you was
Everybody gotta realize
That we all had to compromise
Had to put on suit and ties
When push came to shove

Push comes to shove once in your lifetime (yes and)
Push comes to shove to find out just what's on your mind
Push comes to shove to find exactly what you're made of