I've Gotta Be Me

(album: Brook Benton Today - 1970)

Whether I'm right, whether I'm wrong
Whether I find a place in this world or never belong
I've gotta be me, I've gotta be me
What else can I be but what I am?

I want to live, not merely survive
And I won't give up this dream that keeps me alive
I've gotta be me, I've gotta be me
The dream that I see makes me what I am

That faraway prize, a world of success
Is waiting for me if I heed the call
I won't settle down or settle for less
As long as there's half a chance I can have it all

I'll go it alone, that's how it must be
I can't be right for somebody else if I'm not right for me
I've gotta be free, I've gotta be free
Daring to try to do it or die, I've gotta be me

That faraway prize, a world of success
Is waiting for me if I heed the call
I won't settle down or settle for less
As long as there's half a chance I can have it all

I'll go it alone, that's how it must be
I can't be right for somebody else if I'm not right for me
I've gotta be free, I've gotta be free
Daring to try to do it or die, I've gotta be me