Not the most beautiful,
not Lena or Dorothy;
not packed or stacked or whatever they say,
not Eartha and not Josephine;
don’t have the voice of Lady Day,
can’t even be Diana and play the part;
I could never compete with these in their world,
but I definitely hold my own in heart!

Can’t make my pen flow like Langston;
been many splinters in my staircase, too;
can’t bend and dip and slide and slip,
not Sammy or Mr. Bojangles;
not the master of any instrument,
not Dizzy, the man was cold!
I could never compete with these in their world,
but I definitely hold my own in soul!

Don’t think like Marcus or speak like Malcolm
or preach like Martin, the King;
don’t invent or prevent or conform or reform
or influence or any of these things;
not the dreamer or believer or the optimist or the pessimist
but on one thing, I’m sure we’ll agree,
I could never compete with these in their world,
but I always hold my own in being me!