If you miss me at the back of the bus
You can't find me nowhere
Come on over to the front of the bus
I'll be ridin' up there.
I'll be ridin' up there,
I'll be ridin' up there.
Come on up to the front of the bus,
I'll be ridin' up there.

If you miss me on the picket line
You can't find me nowhere
Come on over to the city jail
I'll be roomin' over there
I'll be roomin' over there
I'll be roomin' over there
Come on over to the city jail
I'll be roomin' over there

"One of the young people had just come down from Carol Illinois, where they'd had a drive to desegregate the municipal swimming pool." 

If you miss me at the Mississippi River
You can't find me nowhere.
Come on over to the swimmin' pool
I'll be swimmin' right there.
I'll be swimmin' right there,
I'll be swimmin' right there.
Come on over to the swimmin' pool,
I'll be swimmin' right there.

"Here's a verse that was prophetic. Came true, I heard it in October and in many places came true in November. Just a start."

If you miss me in the cotton fields
You can't find me nowhere.
Come on down to the court house
I'll be votin' right there
I'll be votin' right there
I'll be votin' right there
Come on down to the courthouse,
I'll be votin' right there

If you miss me at the back of the bus
You can't find me nowhere
Come on over to the front of the bus
I'll be ridin' up there.
I'll be ridin' up there,
I'll be ridin' up there.
Come on up to the front of the bus,
I'll be ridin' up there.

