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Across the Lines (Official) Lyrics by Tracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman

1988

[Hook]
Across the lines
Who would dare to go
Under the bridge
Over the tracks
That separates whites from blacks
[Post-Hook]
Choose sides
Run for your lives
Tonight the riots begin
On the back streets of America
They kill the dream of America
[Verse 1]
Little black girl gets assaulted
Ain't no reason why
Newspaper prints the story
And racist tempers fly
[Verse 2]
Next day it starts a riot
Knives and guns are drawn
Two black boys get killed
One white boy goes blind
[Hook]
Across the lines
Who would dare to go
Under the bridge
Over the tracks
That separates whites from blacks
[Post-Hook]
Choose sides
Run for your lives
Tonight the riots begin
On the back streets of America
They kill the dream of America
[Verse 3]
Little black girl gets assaulted
Don't no one know her name
Lots of people hurt and angry
She's the one to blame
[Hook]
Across the lines
Who would dare to go
Under the bridge
Over the tracks
That separates whites from blacks
[Post-Hook]
Choose sides
Run for your lives
Tonight the riots begin
On the back streets of America
They kill the dream of America
[Outro]
Mmhmm, mmhmm-hmmhmm
Mmhmm, mmhmm-hmmhmm
Mmhmm, mmhmm-hmmhmm
Mmhmm, mmhmm-hmmhmm
Credits
Tracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman

About “Across the Lines (Official)” by Tracy Chapman

Read the complete lyrics to "Across the Lines (Official)" by Tracy Chapman from the album "Tracy Chapman" in 1988. 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 Singer-Songwriter, USA, In English.

"Across the Lines (Official)" is performed by Tracy Chapman. from the album "Tracy Chapman" in 1988 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 "Across the Lines (Official)", explore more songs by Tracy Chapman 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

"Across the Lines (Official)" is credited to Tracy Chapman. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Across the Lines (Official)" appears on "Tracy Chapman" in 1988.

Visit the Tracy Chapman artist page at /artist/tracy-chapman for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.