Michael Jackson – On The Line

Written by Babyface, and originally recorded by Michael for the Spike Lee movie, Get On The Bus, but not featured on the soundtrack album.

It is the lead track of a 3-track ‘minimax’ CD single, released as part of the ‘Deluxe Collector Box Set’ of Ghosts in December 1997 in the UK (no USA release). The box-set also included Michael’s Ghosts mini-movie on home video and his Blood On The Dance Floor album on CD.

The full-length version was inlcuded on Michael’s The Ultimate Collection box-set, issued in November 2004. It also featured on a Columbia Pictures Get On The Bus promo CD, as a potential Oscar nominee, for Best Original Song.

On The Line – Lyrics

No sense pretending its over
Hard times just don’t go away
You gotta take that chip off your shoulder
It’s time you open up
Have some faith

Nothing good ever comes easy
All good things come in due time
Yes it does
You gotta have something to believe in
I’m telling you to open mind

Gotta put your heart on the line
If you wanna make it right
You’ve got to reach out and try
Gotta put your heart on the line
If you wanna make it right
Gotta put it all on the line

You see yourself in the mirror
And you don’t like what you see
And things aren’t getting much clearer
Don’t you think it’s time you go for a change

Don’t waste your time on the past, no, no
It’s time you look to the future
It’s all right there if you ask
This time if you try much harder
You’ll be the best that could can be

Gotta put your heart on the line
If you wanna make it right
You’ve got to reach out and try
Gotta put your heart on the line
If you wanna make it right

If you wanna do it now
You gotta learn to try
You can make it right somehow
Let love come free
And that’s just so easy now
You gotta go for what you want
You gotta do what you got to do

Gotta put your heart on the line
If you wanna make it right
You’ve got to reach out and try
Gotta put your heart on the line
If you wanna make it right

[Repeat and fade out]