Clubbing blows, given and received
Night after night, day after day
Physically, mentally
Socially, politically
The audacity to believe he could make it
The greatest
The dedication to follow through on his promise
The greatest
The audacity to call the white man the devil
And the humility to apologise
Wrong is really wrong when you can’t admit it
Just another side shuffle from the man with the world’s fastest hands
Floating like a butterfly, this way and that

Flawed? Of course
Who isn’t?
Why our insistence on holding our idols to standards that we ourselves can’t meet?
Of course flawed, but the greatest nonetheless
If nowhere else but in his own mind
Where else matters?
Who cares what the world says when you yourself know yourself to be great?

With the belief that he is great comes the ability to act as if he is great
The greatest knows his greatness and desires the world to join him

Being the greatest
If only in his own mind
Freed him from the shackles
Freed him from the chains
Enabled him to stand and fight
And echo the famous words around the world
Filling the ears, hearts and minds of all who would listen
Young, old, black, white and everything in between
I AM THE GREATEST