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Don’t Give Up Lyrics by Gil Scott-Heron

Spirits

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[Intro]
Ahh lovely day, special day
[Verse 1]
I never really thought of myself as a complex man
Or as someone who was really that hard to understand
But it would hardly take a genius to realize
That I've always been a lot too arrogant
And a little too fucking wise
That was a combination that made a lot of folks feel duty bound
To do whatever they could to try and shoot me down
To head off some of the things I might possibly say
And see if they couldn't take some of my pride away
To bring me disappointment and teach me to fear it
Obviously these are folks that just didn't have no spirit
Spirits say
[Chorus]
Don't give up (Spirits say don't give up)
Yes it's time to stop your falling
You've been down long enough (Down long enough)
Can't you hear the spirits calling? (Hear the spirits calling)
Yes it's the spirits
Can't you hear it?
Calling your name
Calling your name
Yeah talking bout spirits
[Verse 2]
There are people whose lives are so far off the track
That what they like best about life is stabbing brothers in the back
And I was obviously too blind, and probably too weak
To see who was responsible for my losing streak
The best way to explain it is to say simply because
I was looking around outside and the truth is that I was the one
So I got locked into all of the analysis
And found myself locked into a kind of paralysis
And something was calling and I almost didn't hear it
But I spent a lot of time being blessed by the spirits
Make you say
[Chorus]
Don't give up (Spirits say don't give up)
Yeah it's time to stop your falling
Yeah you've been down long enough (Down long enough)
And can't you hear the spirits calling?
(Can't you hear the spirits calling?)
Yes it's the spirits
Can't you hear it
Calling your name
Calling your name
Yeah talking bout spirits
[Verse 3]
I didn't matter if it was a child or and adult
There was absolutely no one that I could not insult
So that I could isolate myself somewhere off to the side
And continue to juggle all the possible whys
The warmth I once could generate so well
Had turned into a frozen hell
And the discouraging injustices I felt
Had pinned me somewhere inside a drug-infested cell
Where those who told didn't know and those who knew didn't tell
And I could continue to feel sorry for myself (Feel sorry for myself)
I could continue to feel sorry for myself (Feel sorry for myself)
I could continue to feel sorry for myself (Feel sorry for myself)
And then I heard
[Chorus]
Don't give up (Spirits say don't give up)
Yeah it's time to stop your falling
Yeah you've been down long enough
(You've been down long enough)
Yeah can't you hear the spirits calling?
(Can't you hear the spirits calling?)
Yes it's the spirits
Can't you hear it?
Calling your name
Calling your name
Yeah talking bout spirits
[Verse 4]
Ain't no way overnight to turn your life around
And this ain't the conversation of someone
Who never falls back down
But no matter how long you've been on trial
With the days and the weeks of self-denial
And no matter how many times you've tried to make it
And found out that right then you just couldn't take it
If you are looking for a loser who found strength and success
Remember the spirit of Brother Malcolm X
And know that you can leave all your mistakes behind
The day that you really make up your mind
Really make up your mind
Really make up your mind
Really make up your mind (Really make up your mind)
Come on brothers, pull on up
Stand on up and say
[Chorus]
Don't give up (Don't give up)
Yes it's time to stop your falling
Calling on you, you've been falling down long enough
Yes, can't you hear the spirits calling? (Hear the spirits calling)
Hear the spirits calling
Saying don't give up (Saying don't give up)
Yes, time to stop your falling
Yes and you've been down long enough
Yeah, can't you hear the spirits calling? (Hear the spirits calling)
Hear the spirits calling (Hear the spirits calling)
Credits
Gil Scott-Heron

Gil Scott-Heron

About “Don’t Give Up” by Gil Scott-Heron

Read the complete lyrics to "Don’t Give Up" by Gil Scott-Heron from the album "Spirits". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"Don’t Give Up" is performed by Gil Scott-Heron. from the album "Spirits" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Don’t Give Up", explore more songs by Gil Scott-Heron using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Don’t Give Up" is credited to Gil Scott-Heron. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Don’t Give Up" appears on "Spirits".

Visit the Gil Scott-Heron artist page at /artist/gil-scott-heron for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.