Said, hey little boy you can't go where the others go
'Cause you don't look like they do
Said, hey old man how can you stand
To think that way, did you really think about it
Before you made the rules?

He said, "Son, that's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
Ah but don't you believe them"

That's just the way it is
That's just the way it is

Well they passed a law in '64
To give those who ain't got a little more
But it only goes so far
Because the law don't change another's mind
When all it sees at the hiring time
Is the line on the color bar, no, no, no

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
That's just the way it is, it is, it is, it is