hard work
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watch my back
if youre a brother to me there should be no slack
when Im ripping up and grippin up the ladder
too tough to front it doesn't matter
(hard work) there'll be no riffin on this platter
it's about the struggle
the hard fight but i see the yuppies buggle
oops ya try to sweep the dirt right underneath the rug
ooops oops their ain't no makeup for your mug
(hard work) this rhyme is not designed to make you smug
consider this
1968 was the year, the Kerner commission saw the country in fear
two nations ready to move against each other,
when we could be working in the groove, (my brother)
the mission and the plan were in progress
to change this nation from complacency to hard work for justice
but the leaders of this motion were disrespected
denigrated, spyed on and ejected
a few were shot that's well known but look at what weve got
and social justice left out to rot
fortunately without further assistance from you
we have been assiduously caring for our own crew
and though the media blinks and misdirects
weve got a mission and a history that aligns and corrects
we haven't stopped short at public accomodation
affirmative action is but one manifestation
of the progress that we seek
we continue to speak
its hard work so we can't be weak
black nationalists held the front for a while
on a particular aspect of liberation - thier style
black mind an the body to have new space
expanding the popular construction of the race
and in practice, bringing full humanity to bear
to protect and assist by what ever means where there
some thought we were the coalmine's canary
to spook out to violence when it wasn't necessary
but look who suffered the miscarriage of justice
just because j. edgar hoover wouldn't trust us.
who bugged the phones, and put spies in the BSU
shot activists in cold blood and Cointelled the crew?
who posed the biggest threat to democracy?
Panthers or the federeal bureau of hypocracy?
apologists grew for the struggle over time
the true minds got no airtime and that was the crime
people of color still carry the torch
from the capitol steps to aunt kizzy's back porch
bringing us back to democracy
human rights and constitutional philosophy
some assert boldy a debt owed for critical freedom
original intenders make us debtors we don't need em
debt held by fronters who claim we never paid the price
that freedom of speech is a gift and we should act nice
dont even try it we speak as women and men
and no power will ever silence us again
these same fronters pose the question of sciences
that a concept of freedom stagnates without alliances
an original theory tried tested and true
could only be for europeans not for me and you
4 billion minds on the planet of color
could not improve on jefferson because they are duller
or that an idea once conceived and once said
lives best in white hands otherwise lies dormant and dead
and that to read the paper and positivly construe
is all that the future generations can do
that rule ain't gold in fact its' hardly pewter
positivist logic is a job for a cheap ass computer
im a living human and my mind is subjective
when a man gets beat with a bat
to dialog and expand is my objective
reason vindicates evil but there's got to be more than that
it's about the fight
the hard stuggle but i see the people bite
off a leader who has no sight
you know it's time to finally get it right]]></plaintext></div>