1989 the number another summer (get down)
Sound of the funky drummer
Music hittin' your heart 'cause I know you got soul
(Brothers and sisters)
Listen if you're missin' y'all
Swingin' while I'm singin'
Givin' what you're gettin'
Knowin' what I know
While the Black band's sweatin'
And the rhythm rhyme's rollin'
Got to give us what we want
Got to give us what we need
Our freedom of speech is freedom or death
We've got to fight the powers that be

Chorus:

Lemme hear you say
Fight the power (repeat repeat 7 times)
We've got to fight the powers that be

As the rhythm designed to bounce
What counts is that the rhyme's
Designed to fill your mind
Now that you've realized the prides arrived
We've got to pump the stuff to make us tough
From the heart
It's a start, a work of art
To revolutionize, make a change, nothin's strange
People, people, we are the same
No we're not the same
'Cause we don't know the game
What we need is awareness, we can't get careless
You say, "What is this?"
My beloved, let's get down to business
Mental self-defensive fitness
Bum rush the show
You've got to go for what you know
Make everybody see, in order to
Fight the powers that be

Chorus

Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant shit to me you see
Straight up racist, that sucker was
Simple and plain
Motherfuck him and John Wayne
'Cause I'm Black and I'm proud
I'm ready and hyped plus I'm amped
Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps
Sample a look back you look and find
Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check
"Don't Worry, Be Happy"
Was a number one jam
Damn, if I say it you can slap me right here
(Hit it) Lets get this party started right
Right on, c'mon
What we got to say?
Power to the people, no delay
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be