Boots Riley - Dig It! lyrics

[Verse 1] Presto, read the Communist Manifesto Guerillas in the midst, a Guevara named Ernesto, so (E-Roc: What a brother with a Afro know?) Yell go and flow for the mack and we're the ho So grow cause the lynching brothers might get hung Rhetoric flowing from the tip of my Mao Tse Tung Deficit (E.R.: money spent) catch the glint (E.R.: of my 9 as they cut welfare 25%) And I dissent, as I clench and raise my fist (E.R.: We did away with that) so you could get with this Here's a twist cause we'll overthrow like Kwame N'krumah Spread around the wealth as if it were a vicious rumor Pam cuts a record like a surgeon cuts a tumor from a brain (E.R.: We're all cooped up so feel the pain) From 400 years of exploitation Anesthesia provided by your local TV station Patience is not a virtue (E.R.: I ain't waiting) Turn this sh** over like Bush did a boatload of Haitians [Verse 2] How now brown cow, I'm down with the Mau Mau Clown downtown tried to put us in the dog pound Like H. Rap Brown with the situation (E.R.: Won't get no callouses) cause I'm spitting dialectical an*lysis So how is this, we never had no funk Until you found out that our joints are revolutionary, huh? (E.R.: Chump!) bump you over like dominoes, rat (E.R.: So free Geronimo Gi Jaga Pratt!) Lyrics hear it fear it can't get near it Got a sample didn't clear it Point blank says "f** 5-0!" That's the spirit Cheer it, spat out, the fat that I consumed Knew that I was doomed since my date of birth To be the wretched of the earth; never had a dream that was American (E.R.: There go that lady chair again) despair again (E.R.: But that ain't nothing new) Told the streets were paved with gold Whoever paved that sh** got minimum wage too! Do you understand, the metaphoric phrase? (E.R.: Gunned us, stunned us) exploited and they hung us I'd like to take a moment to say, f** Columbus! (E.R.: Millions off my back) the black on black crisis is a myth The crack that did the damage (E.R.: was the one from the whip) The record skip, the record skip, the record skip *scratch* The record skips, cause my voice is kinda scratchy From yelling, "don't shoot!" when 5-0 comes to hara** me They never pa** me, no one to go and tail bro (E.R.: Trying to k** the movement with the new COINTELPRO) Leaders they k**ed, if I said it, it would threaten em They only see my back because I'm three steps ahead of em We're not falling in the slot you slated (E.R.: We realize that our power's nickel-plated) Ma**es move as well as a**es do, cla** is through Our time is over, past it's due (E.R.: And you still wanna know) the origin of the flow Oakland, California 94610