Round 3: Do You Have to Ask?

Lyrics

[Muhammad Ali & choir & audience] People ask me how I became the poet I tell them, I didn't become the poet, I was born the poet Poetry comes natural to me like boxing A lot of people are surprised that a fighter like me is such a great poet They say boxing and poetry don't mix They are wrong Boxing and poetry do mix The same fist that can knock out a man holds a pen that writes a poem Now that's poetic justice applause Poetry and boxing do mix All the great poets should have been fighters Take Keats and Shelley for an example They were pretty good poets, but they died young You know why, because they didn't train They say you should write poems about what you know, about what you love I write poems about what I love, I write about me laughter A lot of people don't see the beauty in poetry They don't realize that a poem is even more beautiful than a left jab to the nose To show you the beauty in poetry, I'd like to read a poem by one of the greatest poets of all time This is the most beautiful poem ever written, I wrote it about six months ago laughter This is my greatest poem and I'm looking forward to 1965 when I'm going to read it in Washington, DC at the inauguration of the president This poem is entitled 'I Am the Greatest' number 73 by Cassius Clay For those of you who haven't heard, I'm a most enchanting guy A most enchanting guy The greatest boxer that ever lived, would you like me to tell you why Tell us why, tell us why I was born the champion, I'm poetic, I'm brash, I swing [Swing] My greatness is too much for me, man I'm everything King? [?] Cassius have all dropped season 20 centers ago [?] Go, go, go And this Cassius will cool Liston as you already know No, no, no Yes, yes, yes For at the end of the bout, you're gonna hear the ref shout 'The winner and new champion' Mr. Liston won't see that the victor is me For stars all he'll be seeing Twinkle, twinkle little stars Liston's on his way to Mars No, Liston won't hear He'll be flat on his ear And I'll be new champion No, you'll be new champion They all must fall in the round I call They all must lose in the round you choose You can say that again They all must lose the round you choose I'm the greatest Hail, Cassius You are the greatest And just as I prophecy the round of each victory I hereby claim I can do the same with this bit of poetry Impossible, we don't believe it I can achieve it We'll bet you can't do it Don't wager your ruin We think it's a fiction, watch your prediction Just to save time, three words from me will end this round It's one of his jokes Tha, tha, tha, tha, that's all folks He is the greatest