I've Gotta Be Me - Original - Sammy Davis, Jr.

Whether I’m right or 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

Of life 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 far-away prize, a world of success

Is waiting for me if I heed the call

I won’t settle down, won’t settle for less

As long as there’s a chance that 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

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 just gotta be free

Daring to try, to do it or die

I’ve gotta be me