Just across the railroad tracks On the far side of the town All the people there are black And they live in colored town Colored town Speeding cars down the highway run They never stop to look around One place that the highway shuns And that place is colored town Colored town On the sidewalk children play In the gutters watch them clown White world is so far away So far away from colored town Colored town The owners of the local stores Owners of the local ground They're walking on a finer floor Skin's too white for colored town Colored town In the early of the day For the white homes they are bound As a janitor, as a maid They leave their place in colored town Colored town Come the evening, come the wine Come the dancing music sound Liquor knows no color line Not even down in colored town Colored town A prison with no prison guards Where no padlocks can be found A jail without cells and bars But you'll never escape from colored town Colored town Come let's open all the doors From Birmingham to Harlem's ground from Jackson to Chicago's shores Let's take a look at colored town Colored town Come take a look at colored town Colored town