From the recording Red Roof Inn
Lyrics
Saw a Red Roof Inn; its roof was not red
Wasn’t even pink - was kinda gray instead
Wondered why it was they didn’t change the name
Call it a gray roof inn - leave the rest the same
Took it on myself to gather my own proof
Find out how it was 'neath a different colored roof
Traveled for a year, each night, a new hotel
All the beds were soft, I always slept well
Emperor’s got no clothes, the little boy once said
Bet he’d say the same thing ‘bout the gray roof they call red
Now, they call me a white man, but my skin, it is not white
It’s more like beige when you see it in the light
And the red man and the black man are more like bronze and brown
We prefer the labels time has handed down
We’re really more alike than our names suggest
We just cling to the familiar when it suits us best
I’m gonna build a lodge with a roof made of glass
You can see right inn anytime you pass
And imagine how it might be if we all had glass for skin
And you could see the heart of your enemy – or friend
You might find what you expect, you might be surprised instead
But I can guarantee both hearts would be red