Musical Worldview: Nina Simone, "Why? (The King of Love Is Dead)"

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“What's gonna happen now? In all of our cities?
My people are rising; they're living in lies.
Even if they have to die
Even if they have to die at the moment they know what life is
Even at that one moment that ya know what life is
If you have to die, it's all right
Cause you know what life is
You know what freedom is for one moment of your life

But he had seen the mountaintop
And he knew he could not stop
Always living with the threat of death ahead
Folks you'd better stop and think
Everybody knows we're on the brink
What will happen, now that the King is dead?

We can all shed tears; it won't change a thing
Teach your people: Will they ever learn?
Must you always kill with burn and burn with guns
And kill with guns and burn - don't you know how we gotta react?

But he had seen the mountaintop
And he knew he could not stop
Always living with the threat of death ahead
Folks you'd better stop and think
Everybody knows we're on the brink
What will happen, now that the King of love is dead?”


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Musical Worldview: Bob Marley and the Wailers, "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)"

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“Cost of livin' gets so high
The rich and poor they start to cry
And now the weak must get strong, they say
Oh, what a tribulation, saying
My belly full but me hungry
A hungry mob is an angry mob
A rain a-fall but the dirt it tough
A pot a-cook but the food no 'nough”

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Musical Worldview: Bob Marley and the Wailers, "Burnin' and Lootin'"

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“This morning I woke up in a curfew
O God, I was a prisoner, too - yeah!
Could not recognize the faces standing over me
They were all dressed in uniforms of brutality. Eh!

How many rivers do we have to cross
Before we can talk to the boss? Eh!
All that we got, it seems we have lost
We must have really paid the cost

Burnin' and a-lootin' tonight
(Say we gonna burn and loot)
Burnin' and a-lootin' tonight
(One more thing)
Burnin' all pollution tonight
(Oh, yeah, yeah)
Burnin' all illusion tonight

Oh, stop them!

Give me the food and let me grow
Let the Roots Man take a blow
All them drugs gonna make you slow now
It's not the music of the ghetto. Eh!

Weepin' and a-wailin' tonight
(Ooh, can't stop the tears!)
Weepin' and a-wailin' tonight
(We've been suffering these long, long-a years)
Weepin' and a-wailin' tonight
(Will you say cheer?)
Weepin' and a-wailin' tonight
(But where?)

Give me the food and let me grow
Let the roots man take a blow
All them drugs gonna make you slow
It's not the music of the ghetto
We gonna be burnin' and a-lootin' tonight
(To survive, yeah!)
Burnin' and a-lootin' tonight
(Save your babies' lives)
Burning all pollution tonight
(Pollution ...)
Burning all illusion tonight
(Lord-a, Lord-a, Lord-a, Lord!)

Burning and a-looting tonight
Burning and a-looting tonight
Burning all pollution tonight”

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Musical Worldview: Common, "Letter To The Free"

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“Southern leaves, southern trees we hung from
Barren souls, heroic songs unsung
Forgive them father they know this knot is undone
Tied with the rope that my grandmother died
Pride of the pilgrims affect lives of millions
Since slave days separating, fathers from children
Institution ain't just a building
But a method, of having black and brown bodies fill them
We ain't seen as human beings with feelings
Will the U.S. Ever be us? Lord willing!
For now we know, the new Jim Crow
They stop, search and arrest our souls
Police and policies patrol philosophies of control
A cruel hand taking hold
We let go to free them so we can free us
America's moment to come to Jesus

Freedom (freedom)
Freedom come (freedom come)
Hold on (hold on)
Won't be long (won't be long)
Freedom (freedom)
Freedom come (freedom come)
Hold on (hold on)
Won't be long (won't be long)

The caged birds sings for freedom to bring
Black bodies being lost in the american dream
Blood of black being, a pastoral scene
Slavery's still alive, check amendment 13
Not whips and chains, all subliminal
Instead of 'nigga' they use the word 'criminal'
Sweet land of liberty, incarcerated country
Shot me with your ray-gun
And now you want to trump me
Prison is a business, America's the company
Investing in injustice, fear and long suffering
We staring in the face of hate again
The same hate they say will make america great again
No consolation prize for the dehumanized
For america to rise it's a matter of black lives
And we gonna free them, so we can free us
America's moment to come to Jesus”


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Musical Worldview: Peter Tosh, "Equal Rights"

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“Everyone is crying out for peace, yes,
None is crying out for justice.
I don't want no peace,
I need equal rights and justice.”




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Musical Worldview: The Commodores, "Assembly Line"

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“From the moment you thought
You're on the bad line, assembly line
Keeps on messing with your mind

From the moment your boss
They just came up with
The way you think
Got too down, admittin' it

They tell you you can do your very own thing
Ooh, but try people, see the herded green, yeah
Soon little boys will learn to be ashamed of tears they cry
If a girl wants a football, someone must go in and ask her why”

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