Motor City Is Burning

Brothers and sisters, I wanna tell you somethin'

I hear a lot of talk by a lot of honkeys, sitting on a lot of money

Tellin' me they're higher society

But I'll let you know somethin'

If you ask me, this is the higher society

This is the higher society

It's truth

You know, the Motor City's burning, babe

There ain't a thing in the world that they can do

You know, the Motor City is burning people

There ain't a thing that white society can do

My home town burning down to the ground

Worser than Vietnam

Now let me tell you how it started, y'all

It started on 12th and Clairmount that mornin'

It made the, the pig cops all jump and shout

I said, it started on 12th and Clairmount that mornin'

It made the, the pigs in the street go freak out

The fire wagons kept comin', baby

But the Black Panther snipers wouldn't let them put it out

Wouldn't let them put it out, wouldn't let them put it out

Now!

Get it on

Well, there were fire bombs bursting all around the people

You know, there was soldiers standing everywhere

I said there was fire bombs bursting all around me, baby

You know, there was National Guard everywhere

I can hear my people screaming

Sirens fill the air, fill the air, fill the air, fill the air

Your mama, papa don't know what the trouble is

You see, they don't know what it's all about

I said, your mama and papa don't know what the trouble is, baby

They just can't see what it's all about

I get the news, read the newspapers, baby

You just get out there in the street and check it out

Whoa yeah!

I said, the Motor City's burning, people

I ain't hangin' 'round to fight it out

I said, the Motor City's burning, baby

Just not hang around to fight it out

Well, I'm taking my wife and my people

And they're on TV, yeah-yeah-yeah

Remember that

Before I go, baby, let me tell you my lesson