Bird lives!
the brother wrote on the rotted pasteboard wall
next to the sign that read
PLEASE DON'T PEE IN OUR HALL
And then he reached in his slide
and pulled out the tiny transparent bag
the one filled with the chalk white powder the junkies 
call scag
Hi sighed as he hit the big vein in his arm
and his mind took off on Bird's musical charm
Now Brother Bird was blowing Embraceable You
like only he was hip to the secret he knew
Wow! the brother said as he slipped off into a nod
Bird sure eases the pain
Now I wanna hear Brother John Coltrane
He tried to get up
but his body wouldn't move
His mind told him his senses were in a groove
Finally Bird was through
and ‘trane took over in a spiritual debut
His heart began to pound
as he dug the boss sound
Damn! Bird and 'trane sure enough was down
And then he looked up and saw
that the box wasn't even on
and it was damn near dawn
I'm high!
I'm blind!
I'm wasted!
If I could only come down
There I go There I go There I go There I go There I go 
There I go There I go There I go There I go There I go
There I go There I go There I go There I go There I go
Shit!Give me some dough
so I can buy me some smack
and get back on the fast track
He supped off into a nod
and the sounds became odd
and he could no longer hear trane or Bird
He could only hear the loud unspoken word
Get Back Nigger, you're black
No, but I'm beautiful he said
And then he suddenly realized that he was dead
and he was being lowered into the ground
and couldn't utter a single sound
and his family and friends were standing around
with their heads hanging down
crying and carrying on
'cause their beautiful black son was gone
No, I'm not dead his mind said
Don't bury me
‘cause I didn't
I didn't I didn't I didn't I didn't I didn't I didn't I 
didn't
I didn't I didn't I didn't I didn't I didn't I didn't
I didn't I didn't I didn't I didn't I didn't I didn't
I didn't I didn't I didn't I didn't I didn't
I didn't I didn't I didn't
And then he realized
O.D.
O.D.
O.D.
O.D.