Cheryl Lynn - How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise lyrics

If you wanna know the truth, and that's a fact Let me hear you say, “And you know that!” AND YOU KNOW THAT! You dippy-dippy-dive and so-socialize But how we gonna make the black nation rise? While you party down yelling, shock the house Get down, rock shock the house The Ku Klux Klan is on the loose Training their kids in machine gun use Obey everything has its place and time We can rock the house, too, as we shock your mind We can brag, and we can boast Producin' neither bread nor bu*ter for our breakfast toast Look at all the things that can prove the point Sisters in the discos, brothers in the joint As you dippy-dippy-dive and so-socialize But how we gonna make the black nation rise? HOW WE GONNA MAKE THE BLACK NATION RISE? The people call me Brother-D And I'm here to shed some light To bring the truth right on down to earth From where it once was out of sight But before I continue just let me say This is not my ego soup I sat down and thought and I wrote this verse In the interest of the group Come on My people, people, can't you see What's really goin' on? Unemployment's high, the housing's bad And the schools are teaching wrong Cancer from the water, pollution in the air But you're partying hard, like you just don't care Wake up y'all, you know that ain't right Cause that hurts everybody, black or white Winter's cold, can't get no heat Just move your body to the beat While it takes you on a disco ride Get high until you're pacified Our youth actin' like the living dead Ain't talkin' bout the body. Talkin' bout the head Space out y'all to the disco rhyme Movin' to the rhythm but you're wastin' time Stop and think. Do you know what's real? Well, let me educate you to the real deal The media is telling lies The devil's taking off his disguise They're k**ing us in the streets While we pay more for food that's cheap And all you wanna do is so-socialize HOW WE GONNA MAKE THE BLACK NATION RISE? Remember the so-called Indian? Look what they did to him Maybe they'll do that to us Dare to struggle. Dare to win I mean damn, get out of your seat! Damn, get on your feet! We say damn, and I will repeat! We mean damn we're tired of defeat! Damn! No more sittin' around! We say damn, it's time for throwin' down! Damn. Let's even the score Cause We're fired up and won't take no more We're fired up! WON'T TAKE NO MORE! We're fired up! WON'T TAKE NO MORE! WE'RE FIRED UP! WON'T TAKE NO MORE! WE'RE FIRED UP! WON'T TAKE NO MORE! The story might give you stomach cramps Like America's got concentration camps People like Malcolm lived and died Warning us about genocide While you're partying on, on, on, on and on The ovens may be hot by the break of dawn Your party may end one day soon When they round the n******gs up in the afternoon And you start to wonder are the people dumb Well Martin Luther King said we'll overcome But how we gonna make the Black Nation rise When all you wanna do is dippy-dippy-dippy-dive? No, no, brothers it's not like that Gonna rap for the people, tell ‘em where it's at Like Elijah showed us how to pool our wealth Collectively we must do for ourselves Don Pedro Albizu Campos he Gave his life fighting for Puerto Rico to be free While We fight each other with out a fear But, fight the system you never dare Well if you ain't down We'll get you first Cause you slow us down just like a curse Bob Marley's spirit we can't let die Put a message in our music for i and i Service to our people who we must redeem Like Coltrane's horn blowin' Love Supreme You heard what Marcus Garvey said And we can't stand still He said, “Up you mighty nation. You can Accomplish what you will!” RISING UP! WON'T TAKE NO MORE! RISING UP! WON'T TAKE NO MORE! America was built, understand By stolen labor on stolen land Take a second thought, as you clap and stamp Can you rock the house from inside the camp? As you're moving to the beat 'til the early light This country's moving too, moving to the right Prepare now, or get high and wait Cause it ain't no party in a police state Blessed are we who dare to be free We gotta change the way we behave You gotta sacrifice for our righteous cause Or remain a pa**ive slave We're not anti- any other racial group Just understand we're pro-Black And we're against any one or thing That tries to hold us back So think, but don't take too long The time is getting late And deejays if you've got a mic It's your job to educate Well, I know my voice is not rated X We didn't talk about money, or talk about s** We didn't talk about clothes or cars and things And you might be tired of my lecturing So while you dance, and while you sing All we wanna do is ask just one thing: While you dippy-dippy-dive and so-socialize Are you gonna help the Black Nation rise? YOU DIPPY-DIPPY-DIVE AND SO-SOCIALIZE HOW WE GONNA MAKE THE BLACK NATION RISE? How We gonna make the Black Nation rise? We gotta agitate, educate and organize! How We gonna make the Black Nation rise? AGITATE! EDUCATE! ORGANIZE! [Repeat and Fade]