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 you're missin' y'all 
Swingin' while i'm 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 you've realized the prides 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 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 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 ---- to me you see 
Straight up racist that sucker was 
Simple and plain 
Mother---- 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 
(get 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 
(fight the power)