Funkadelic-Everybody's Going to Make it This Time

From the LP, “America Eats its Young.”

George Clinton was an interesting choice by fate to be the bearer of this message, but he got the duty, and he did a fine job. Come to think of it, maybe his own experience of life helps me with the point that I am about to make.

All young parents who are sincere about doing a good job of parenting bring their own experience of having themselves been parented during their own childhoods. Many of them are only too familiar with the mistakes that their own parents had made in parenting them, and they set out not to make those mistakes, not to follow those old patterns. For my (now ex-) wife and I, this was the central goal of our plans for bringing up our own children. Then something happens.

We managed to avoid most of the mistakes of our parents, but we ended up making our own mistakes. Overall, I think that we made a much better job of it than our parents had, but I'd hate to send those score-cards to the judges.

Here's George Clinton telling us that “we got to learn from the mistakes that were made in the past.” For all I know, George did manage to avoid some mistakes that he remembered from the generation that raised him, but let's face it, he did make a few of his own before he was done.

Rather than sound ungrateful, I should mention my sincere appreciation for all of the great work that Mr. Clinton did in the music business. The legacy of Parliament/ Funkadelic is a tower of achievement that will stand as long as people enjoy music.

Lyrics

Our mothers and our fathers
They had lives to live
Oh, and today, is proof that mistakes were made
There's not a doubt in my heart
They've done the best that they know how
And there's still time for us to make a change

We got to learn from the mistakes that were made in the past
We got to clean so that we can clean our minds
Cause in order to get it together
We got to get our heads together
Everybody is going to make it this time [Repeat x2]

Our country and our cities, they have been betrayed for money
Ooooh, and somehow, the people, they will make a change, yeah
There's not a doubt in my mind
If hunger and anger place the blame
There won't be a country left to change

We got to see what we're doing in the name of comfort
We've got to see, we've got to feel the warning signs
But in order to get it together
We've got to get our heads together
Everybody is going to make it this time [Repeat x2]

We've got to learn from the mistakes
That were made in the past
We've got to clean so that we can use our minds
But in order to get it together
We've got to get our heads together
Everybody is going to make it this time [Repeat x2]
(Everybody, make it, yeah whoa!)
Everybody is going to make it this time [Repeat x9]
(Got to make it, this time, whoaa! Wooo, woo, woo, hey!)