Lord I ask you for one favor
Lord for someone to help me
Oh Lord, all I need in this world
Is an helping hand

Oh Lord all on my life
I been in trouble as they go by
I been mistreated
Oh Lord, treated like a dog

People look at me on the street
Yes the watch me from my head to feet
As the watch me as they go by
Lord I wonder what's on their mind

I say Oh Lord
Haven't harmed nobody
But they seem to hat me just the same
I say Oh Lord Oh Lord, have mercy on me

People have spit, spit in my face
They have done me everything wrong
They have called me all kind of names
They say; nigger, keep on goin

But in my heart, it be so cruel
Lord I don't know in this world what to do
But I say " Lord, oh Lord, have mercy on me
Have mercy on me "

[Spoken]
I even had kids that threw me dirty water in my face. Scoop it up off the street, and their mother and father standing with them. And I look at them, and have to smile. And I say to myself: Lord have mercy! What wrong have I done to be treated this way? Like I'm no human, I'm like something in the jungle somewhere. But when I bow down on my knee and I pray to the good Lord above, and I ask him only in a few words, say " Lord please have mercy on me, cause there's only one thing in life I want. And all I want, a little favor, just to be free. That's all I want, just to be free

So bye and bye, when my day is come
Yeah and I leave, leave this world behind
I'll say: Lord, lord, have mercy on me