The Last Poets - Opposites lyrics

Understand, said the old black man that everything works in opposites The sun and the moon, left and right Hot and cold, black and white Understand, said the old black man who is the opposite of you Understand so that you will know what you have to do Understand that black is true and false is white Understand that black is right and white is wrong Understand that white is weak and black is strong Understand that white is suffocation and black is a deep breath Understand that black is life and white is d**h Understand that blacks will live in glory while whites will die in shame Understand that blackness is reality and whiteness but a game Understand that blacks were here first and will be here last Understand that whitey steals your future and lies about your past Understand that before we were sold as slaves the black man walked in temples of glory while the white man crawled in caves So understand, young black man who is the opposite of you Understand so that you will know what you have to do Understand that black is the beginning of white's end Understand that whiteness is your enemy and blackness is your friend Understand the height and weight of your mental depth Understand that you're the original man as quiet as it's kept Understand that blacks will rise and whites will fall Understand that white equals nothing and black equate all Understand that our climate is hot and theirs is cold And you are young and I am old But all lies die when the truth is told So understand, young black man who is the opposite of you Understand so that you will know what you have to do Understand that black is love and white is hate Understand why our freedom cannot wait Understand that white is war and black is peace Understand that black is beauty and white the beast Understand that black is happiness and white is sorrow Understand that I was a slave yesterday But you'll be free tomorrow And the second after Before The minute after Before The hour after Before The day after Before The week after Before The month after Before The year after Before The decade after Before The century after Before The eternity after Before you understand what it means to be a free black man