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Fight The Power Lyrics

Artist: Public Enemy
Album: Fear Of A Black Planet

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)

Comments/Interpretations
by anty on 5/25/2008 3:52pm one of the coolest songs featuring KoRn...
by dj gpip on 5/27/2008 3:12pm i have 2 do this for for a rebellious essay
by taa on 6/1/2008 3:35pm and a mother cries...
by Viktor on 6/18/2008 3:50pm Yea best fu*king song Koßn ever made
by shae on 6/18/2008 8:52pm impowering
by palmer on 6/19/2008 5:03pm Motherfuck him and John Wayne
by rascal on 6/23/2008 2:59pm 1989
by Andy T. on 6/29/2008 1:10pm They are the best... one of my favourite
by me on 7/2/2008 8:34pm the duke was awesome and presley was cool pop and rap are the most stupid kinds of music
by ariel on 7/4/2008 1:14pm y'all racist niggas
by flava flav has 7 kids with 3 moms on 7/7/2008 4:27pm does "Fight the Power" mean fighting against the concept of families with an even ratio of moms to dads?
by Jay on 7/18/2008 3:11am This is one of the only rap songs that has a good and powerful message.
by METALHEAD666 on 7/18/2008 4:37am good song
by dude on 7/24/2008 4:15am flava flav didn't write this song, you silly shit.
by to me on 7/29/2008 11:03pm this is to me...you came on here and said pop and rap is stupid...why are you looking up public enemy lyrics??
by jude amoah on 7/30/2008 2:18pm u dont get good songs like this anymore!!!!
by rednecks are retards on 8/11/2008 10:07am ariel i hope you see this you country redneck whitebread chicken shit motherfucker how the hell did you make a computer out of cardbord and alluminum the two materials that make up your trailer trash house.wait your usin an 1980 fucked up compter that takes hours to go to one webpage so i guess it took maybe 6 hours out of your worthless life to post that.
by fuckthechurchfuckthestate on 8/15/2008 12:43am This song has nothing to do with korn you fucking moron. There may be some kind of remix or live version featuring Korn but this song's greatness has nothing to do with Korn and I despise fuckers like you that claim it does.
by jig on 8/18/2008 11:51pm Elvis was'nt a racist..There's plenty of footage of him kissin and huggin black folks..all kinds of folks for that matter..He learned and gave credit to alot black singers berfore him.If anything he was pro-black..Just like myself..This song is negative..
by Portland Oregon on 9/3/2008 10:49pm I remember watching Spike Lee's 'do the right thing' back not too long after it came out. I was about 15 then and I thought this song was great. Now is the first time I've ever listened to the whole song, and certainly the first time I've read the lyrics. These guys are great. Flavor Flav is in the great tradition of the joker, the trickster. I believe the tradition can be traced to African roots. These guys are brilliant. Sometimes I think they get a little off field into divisive for its own sake, but that's the exception. They are poetic genius' of the highest caliber. The melding of form and substance is astounding.
by Radio Raheem on 9/12/2008 2:19am Chuck D should be given credit for being one of the most transcending musical figures of our era. It's too bad people are talking about Korn. I am afraid Fight the Power has zero to do with them. Probably one of the best rap/hip-hop songs of all time. Respekt
by jb on 9/14/2008 2:27pm cool
by Slinkard on 9/24/2008 11:10am This is truly sad that a song like this tops the charts of 'Vh1'. Wow, after everything that has happened in the world, a female running for Vice President, a black man running for President, well with this song we might as well go back 40 years to the past... When it was all about Black Liberation, yeah great song. www.conservativecorner.wordpress.com
by Are you kidding me? on 9/24/2008 12:25pm This shit sucks. These no talent punks need to leave the country if they are not happy here. They have the highest standard of living of any black people on the planet and yet they piss and moan
by Teacher on 9/24/2008 4:53pm When whitefolks accused Elvis of being a "n-ggalover" he said, and I quote: "A nigger can't do nothing for me but cook my food and shine my shoes"--end quote. Did he mean it? Probably not, he cut his teeth in black juke joints and loved his black maid like a second mama, but he SAID it. Elvis let that be his legacy to protect his record sales.
by Teacher on 9/24/2008 4:56pm Flava was the hype man, not the lyricists, of the band. Him being a plum fool changes not a damn thing about the profundity of that song.
by mindfreak on 9/24/2008 8:31pm fuck man this my lyrics fuck everybody..shit fuck u all
by hf on 9/24/2008 9:46pm does anyone know if Chuck D further explained the lyrics of the song? The song is greatly negative but it seems that Chuck D is lashing out at the racism against the black community during the late 80s. I wonder if he really believed that Elvis was actually a racist or added the line purley for shock value. Additionally, is he trying to bring together all races with this song or did he write the lyrics purley with rage?
by cryforbalance on 9/24/2008 10:21pm This song is unquestionably hot...but undeniably racist. Wonder if the songwriter/artists would be okay with 'rednecks' using the n-word? When are we gonna grow up?
by mr man man on 9/25/2008 4:21pm The strong statements made in this piece of art are the foundations of what hip hop should be. A message and not a trashy one week dance.
by dancerjack on 9/25/2008 5:47pm it's a good song. but there's alot of hyperbole in the responses to it. astounding? that's a bit overdone.
by Public Enemy is RACIST too on 9/25/2008 6:11pm "MotherF--k him and John Wayne"... and any other white person? maybe all the Orientals and Muslims while we’re at it right? I get empowerment, and it IS a positive thing, but not at the expense of someone or something else. I believe that’s what people in the ghetto would call an "ig'nent nigga" The song is as positive as the Black Panthers rolling down the streets with shotguns was positive. Will Smith, as corny as his rap seems, is positive. It shows that you don’t have to swear, don’t have to put people down, and can STILL get a point across to millions if you want. Denzel does wonders for the community. These are the people to listen to and model ourselves after.
by Bogeyman on 9/25/2008 6:25pm Another good case for a larger war front and resurrecting the military draft. Y'all Korn folks need something more to occupy your fucked-up minds. Did the Tutsis with OCD stop to wipe the door knobs before fleeing the Hutus? What about the lactose intolerance in Somalia?
by That one guy on 10/8/2008 7:16pm Everyone is predjudice, deal with it, its not like there arent rascist white power bands playing out there and when a rap group does it its a big fucking suprise for everyone, but maybe they are reffering to the higherclass white individuals who get away with shit everyday. Theres more rap making a point these days you just have to look for it. IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE is keeping hip-hop live and it talks about the issues going on rght now all around the world yo could learn a thing or two~
by DumbWhiteBoy on 10/9/2008 9:01am I may not agree with their statements, but I respect anyone that can make their point as succinct and sharp as Public Enemy did
by niko on 10/10/2008 6:40am this song is not that great... and by the way, public enemy has expressed racist ideas about jews, asians and whites...as a latino i fell left out. plus it seems hypocritical of public enemy to talk about empowerment while flavaflav runs around like a character in a minstrel show
by fartybollox on 10/24/2008 7:32pm were only here to see the lyrics. i dont give a fuck what you all think.
by blackwhitewhatever on 10/29/2008 9:08pm Don't split hairs and don't make it out to be more than it is-it's song lyrics. Fight the powers that be!!! FIght the power is an anthem that respresents a core ideal of the founding fathers of this country. Your remember the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War Don't you??? GO READ A BOOK. I think 400 years of opression make it okay for there to be at least a handful of rap songs about throwing off the yoke of opression..something this country was founded on! Remember that????
by Texan( look at the John wayne part) on 11/4/2008 8:29am 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 McCain 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)
by jimmy on 11/8/2008 8:29pm The whole song seems ambiguous to me outside the “Fight the Power” message—for example, other people seem to know what PE is saying about Elvis but I don’t. Hell, I’ve attacked Elvis as a worthless entertainer, and maybe he was a racist in some ways. Who cares? What does Elvis have to do with fighting the power? Unless it’s the power to make the big bucks. Then it doesn’t seem like fighting power as much as envying power.
by me on 11/18/2008 7:30am i think the elvis reference is in link with the reference of what american deems as heroes. it's usually the white majority. rarely is a man of any kind of colour considered a hero. if so, it's the token black or the expected black (i.e. martin luther king jr). so, what i'm assuming they're fighting here, is the ideology of celebrating the redneck. where are the heroes of our people--black, red, yellow, brown, etc. most of us were terrorists and enemies. now, explain to me the rest of the lyrics. they're kind of silly to me.
by bobby on 11/21/2008 4:15pm hi jimmy you're missing the point about Elvis and John Wayne - the point is that, at the time the song was written, they were being elevated to the state of being national icons (by being commemorated on US Postage stamps) despite the fact that they were both strongly associated with relatively recent racist statements and attitudes about blacks. The point being that if these are the heroes that are chosen by the State to represent all that's great in the country - there must be something wrong with the State. O and btw for previous posters - Professor Griff of PE made anti-semitic remarks and was thrown out the group on account of it. O and if you think US blacks in general have the highest standard of living in the world then a) you want to get out and around a bit more and b) US blacks in general should have the same standard of living as US whites in general is the point.
by Alex on 11/24/2008 6:32pm Bobby, you got it.
by American Me on 12/2/2008 1:06am Its bullshit that black ppl can't express themselves in any way without some fucking idiots trying to say some shit about calm down, be rational. Fuck that shit America was built on the backs of the slaves but yet and still anytime we complain some muthafucka wanna say "go back where your from if your not happy here" guess what hillbilly m/f,we belong here more than anyone, and you don't like it go back to whatever damp ass, dirty partcountry you came from. We are not going anywhere so you might as well get used to it. The man don't own this shit. Another thing you need to quit that "if" shit cause if "if" and "buts" were candy and nuts we'd all have a merry Christmas.
by idk how i feel about this on 12/3/2008 11:11pm Obviously this is how they felt at the time, but seriously whats wrong with a white person saying nigger if a black person can say redneck? apparently they are both condescending so, all white people feel free to say what you want i guess, because according to VH1 this is the best hip-hop song ever. And, I love how it's "always" white people that are racist....this song proves that its everywhere. As far as Bobby's comment...Black people could have the same standard of living as some of the more privileged white people if they tried. I know its a system and a cycle and it's hard to get out of, but it's not impossible....This is America. Plus there are plenty of white people living in the same circumstances.
by presuming rob on 12/5/2008 4:27pm ok, i'm a white british metalhead with long blonde hair (hardly someone who should be listening to this) but i admire these guys so much for what they stood for... IMO rappers these days just act like rap is some kinda fashion that they're just in to get rich... but this is GOOD! theres my 2 cents
by Dion on 12/6/2008 8:58am Definitely one of the most profound songs of it's time, if not all of hip hop as a whole. I can still remember when this song came out...it was more than just a song, it was an anthem. As a child I could barely grip the profound nature of it's lyrics and message, and even today as I find myself soon to be a history teacher, I feel that it still holds many merits. I think bobby hit it on the had about the ideals portrayed in the song. I think this is considered by many to be one of the greatest hip hop songs ever for good reason. It's thoughtful, poignant, and unforgiving. That's how music of a political mindset should be.
by problackantinigga on 12/9/2008 5:40pm theres two types or colored people in the world theres niggas and blacks and the people that mad this song are no good aint shit niggas that can kiss my ass.i aint racist but ask anyone no one loves a fucking nigga.
by Vladan Obradovic on 12/12/2008 2:07pm i am white..and proud to be white! but..we all have to fight the power.. get this-there are no white,black,red,yellow,no muslims,no christians,no jews..only the ones that have everything and the ones that don`t. fight the power ! ! ! ! !
by really what the fk?!?! on 12/14/2008 5:46pm** half the comments are dissin this rap. why the hell did u look up the lyrics to this song just to diss it oh and problackantinigga you are a racist motherfu*cker go die
by azngirl916 on 12/14/2008 6:49pm I'm Asian and I grew up listening to hip hop like most people. Yes this song has a good message, but not all points were legitimate. I'm no fan of Elvis Presley's music or the man in general, but after doing research on the subject of his alleged racist sentiment, I have to say that nothing including that alleged Boston quote was ever substantiated. Therefore, we should not to be so quick to call him a racist. Through his numerous quotes and actions, I believe that he had genuine respect and love for blacks, and their music that inspired him. The New York Times wrote a good piece on this subject...I recommend all of you google it!
by B-Money on 12/15/2008 2:42pm Fuck all the racist in the world, fuck everyone who thinks bad of this song and fuck those who want to criticize me cause i'm black and proud.
by poala on 12/18/2008 6:00pm why does your song have to be so damn long
by SF Rog on 12/24/2008 1:45pm Up until the election of Barack Obama, African Americans in the US had every right to feel like they were on the outside of the political establishment. This song captures that angst against a power structure that is self-serving & discriminatory. Motherfuck Elvis and John Wayne . . . symbols of a racist white culture where people of color aren't allowed to ride in the front of the bus. That's coming from the heart . . . and it works in this music. It's angry, rebellious, in your face, and it's real. It rings true. The American Dream from the outside. It will be interesting to see how hip hop lyrics evolve now that there is no office too high for an African American in the US.
by EL TORO! on 12/28/2008 8:43am Good Song........
by the duke on 1/6/2009 11:57pm da ha da ha da ha ha haha ha
by soul the interrogator on 1/8/2009 1:37am As a White Cat livin in the hood back in the 80's I always show love to PE for introducing me to black awareness. I knew who the Black Panthers and Malcolm X was thanks to them. The white media at the time would'nt show anything like that. It was all about Elvis Presley who steals lyrics from black entertainers and John Wayne who said some thing about black folks. And USA wanted to put them on stamps? I know white folks that are still pissed about Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It's sad, because hip hop today is 99.999999999999% Garbage and Flavor Flav sold out to Bridget Nelson.... FIGHT THE POWER!!!
by natasa public enemy greece on 1/11/2009 1:48pm my public enemy i love u very very much you iis beautiful and great i was sthn sunavlia
by Can't we all just get along? on 1/12/2009 2:16am They expressed themselves about how they felt regarding the state of black people in America in the 1980's. I have seen interviews where Chuck D has stated that he "has a great respect for Elvis and what he did for music and that he does respect black work, but John Wayne still gets the middle finger" lmao.... I am not racist against blacks or whites because we are all people and live in this fucked up country! But, this is a great song with a great message if you walked in their shoes. If you didn't don't comment on why they said what they said in this song. And furthermore don't go reading their fucking lyrics????
by fuck white folk on 2/4/2009 10:47am always tryna keep a nigga down, fight the power. money-b homey u got it in one my nigga. fuck all those who hate dis track, spike lee was a menace 4 do the right thing - u c wat them crackers did 2 raheem, motherfucking vermin dont trust a white bi**h EVER. im the modern day radio raheem
by jon on 2/16/2009 3:44pm i'm a while male and i hate the word nigger. i hate racist whites. i come from a rich white home but in my home we were taught to listen to god hip hop and learn about black leaders.
by CoyoteJack on 2/22/2009 3:29pm I think people try to analyze things to the letter a bit too much. One thing I love about PE songs is that it creates thought and discussion (and I think THAT is the point...awareness). Chuck D is an intriguing fellow and quite brilliant. I've never been a racist person nor tolerant of it. I have friends all across the racial "spectrum" and am thankful for each and every one of them. I myself am half Native American (Delaware) and half Danish.
by mendmatic on 2/24/2009 10:11pm WHAT IS THIS KORN YOU SPEAK OF? BASS FOR YOUR FACE BOYEEE!
by retards on 2/28/2009 2:13am alot of the black people that post shit on here make other black people look like fuckin retards ps if your trying to call me racist my best friend is black he agrees with me pss im white and i dont give a fuck what color you are because if your trying to argue color power your a fucking retard
by MusicArt on 3/5/2009 8:17pm How times have changed since 1989...Now the Republican chairman and president are black. Maybe Michael Steele can use this as his new Republican party theme song. Fight the radical lefty power! They want to take yo dollars and freedom too! It's obvious they know better than you..boyeeeee!
by bro on 3/9/2009 8:13pm korn? are u serious? f*ck korn, PE all the way korn sucks, they probably did cover this song, fuck, they've covered every good song for the last 20 years cause their too lazy and washed up to write any thing new
by dumbfounded whitie on 3/18/2009 12:56pm this is one of the most influential songs in all of rap Will Smith is a played out fool no one listens to parents just don't understand anymore. this is one of the greatest songs in the history of rap and is exactly what rap should be. it is about throwing off the bonds of oppression and rising up to get out of it. anyone that says that since we have a black president there is no more racism is mildly retarded. there is racism when buying a house, car, walking down the street, most government programs are still directed to black people,racism. the police still target black people. the only thing that has changed is that we feel bad about it.
by to MusicArt on 3/26/2009 5:11pm Nobody took more money and freedom from America than Reagan and Bush. Chuck D was telling you this twenty years ago, and I'm telling you now. Look at where the money has gone in that time -- we're all in debt because of Reaganomics, while the rich continue to pull money out of America. Look who spied on and tortured innocents, and stoked the fire of fear. Pay attention! and Fight the Power!
by blackrockstar on 4/10/2009 10:28am elvis preasley was racist and he had no talent, jerry lee lewis or little richard were better, but we still say that he's the king of rock'n'roll, he's just the king of my ass
by A Commoner on 4/19/2009 8:35am It's about the anglo-american empire. The new world order. He knew about it then, but everyone is so stupid, they would rather argue about elvis and shit. Look behind the words, 400 years of rednecks. The Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Eugenics. Freedom of speech is freedom or death. Lok around at your constitutional rights being evaporated. Idiots, wake up!!
by Th@tCh1ck on 5/13/2009 11:30pm for one myself finds this song to be very inspirational to african americans like myself an i dont see how any of you can say otherwise because as we all know and have heard the phase "fight the power" to some just lyrics but to others fight the power is an inspirational reminder for us all to keep our heads high & fight for what we the African AMERICAN race deserve and believe in as being equals to all races & i also believe that this song is incredible for the simple fact that it was then and now still is relevant in todays issues hands down this is one of the rawest and creative ways of the eras youth expressing an notifying the public of racial repression
by WTF on 5/14/2009 7:33am Any of you who try to argue your points on a lyrics website, go grab a life...............honestly.
by that dude on 5/19/2009 1:39am or alternatively suck a dick
by 14-88 on 5/22/2009 7:42am i dislike blacks
by yo mamma on 6/12/2009 3:49pm If it weren't for Elvis all us niggas would be shinning shoes and eating white men shit. He helped us black folk, be musically recognized. Fucken haters get an education.
by yo mamma on 6/12/2009 3:56pm HA! Funnnnnny how three six mafia tryin to steal songs from the king of rock n roll. Proud and Black but EDUCATED. LONG LIVE ELVIS !!!!!! AS HE WOULD SAY FUCK ALL U SUMOFABITCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by yo mamma on 6/12/2009 4:25pm to blackrockstar, didn't know u like getting it in the ass. Any who,who do u think put the rock in rockstar idiot. Bet yo old lady is a fan of Elvis like me. Then again u would mention Little Richard u fucken fag.
by irritabledindian on 6/18/2009 7:07pm If you think PE is racist, you probably think Malcolm X was as well. It's not about hate, it's about frustration of being screwed over. This song is not about coming together it's about voicing frustration. Love peace and harmony but just not right now is what they're saying (at least to me). This song is an A+.
by Screw you on 6/22/2009 4:36pm Public Enemy are immense man!! Seriously, their music was so influential and true. They weren't sell outs and weren't scared the truth, which I really respect them for!! Elvis and John Wayne were both racist!! To all you people that are hating....why even look up the lyrics in the first place??

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