1989 the number another summer (get down) Sound of the funky drummer Music hittin your heart cause I know you got sould (brothers and sisters, hey) Listen if youre missin yall Swingin while Im singin Givin whatcha gettin Knowin what I know While the black bands sweatin And the rhythm rhymes rollin Got to give us what we want Gotta give us what we need Our freedom of speech is freedom or death We got to fight the powers that be Lemme hear you say Fight the power Chorus As the rhythm designed to bounce What counts is that the rhymes Designed to fill your mind Now that youve realized the prides arrived We got to pump the stuff to make us tough From the heart Its a start, a work of art To revolutionize make a change nothins strange People, people we are the same No were not the same Cause we dont know the game What we need is awareness, we cant get careless You say what is this? My beloved lets get down to business Mental self defensive fitness (yo) bum rush the show You gotta go for what you know Make everybody see, in order to fight the powers that be Lemme hear you say... Fight the power 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 Mother fuck him and john wayne Cause Im black and Im proud Im ready and hyped plus Im amped Most of my heroes dont appear on no stamps Sample a look back you look and find Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check Dont worry be happy Was a number one jam Damn if I say it you can slap me right here (get it) lets get this party started right Right on, cmon What we got to say Power to the people no delay To make everybody see In order to fight the powers that be