Lyrics:

Yet our best trained, best educated, best equipped
Best prepared troops refuse to fight
As a matter of fact, it's safe to say
That they would rather switch than fight

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)
Hey, listen if you're missin', y'all
Swingin' while I'm singin' (hey)
Givin' whatcha gettin'
Knowin' what I knowin'
While the Black bands sweatin'
And the rhythm rhymes rollin'
Got to give us what we want (uhn)
Gotta give us what we need (hey, huh)
Our freedom of speech, it's freedom or death
We got to fight the powers that be

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

As the rhythm's designed to bounce
What counts is that the rhymes
Designed to fill your mind
Now that you realize the pride's arrived
We 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, somethin'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 (yeah)
My beloved, let's get down to business
Mental self-defensive fitness
Bum rush the show (you gotta go for what you know)
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be

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

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

Elvis was a hero to most (but he)
Elvis was a hero to most
Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant shit to me
You see, straight out racist
That sucker was, simple and plain
(Motherfucker, him and John Wayne)
'Cause I'm Black and I'm proud
And I'm ready, I'm hyped for some amps
Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps
Sample a look back, you look and find
Nothing but rednecks for four hundred 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 (let's get this party started right)
Right on (c'mon)
What we got to say
Power to the people, no delay
Make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)

Fight the power (shit, shit, shit, shit, sh'y'all)
Fight the power (shit, shit, shit, shit, sh'y'all)
Fight the power (shit, shit, shit, shit, sh'y'all)
Fight the power (shit, shit)
We've got to fight the powers that be

What we got to say, fight the power
What we got to say, fight the power, c'mon
What we got to say, fight the power
What we got to say, fight the power, c'mon