For the millions
For the millions
For the millions of Africans
Chained to the slave ships
For the millions of scars on their backs
And face by the bullwhip
For the millions who jumped overboard
For the blood that poured
On the shores
Of North America
South America
Central America
And Europe
And each ripple in the ocean
Is a grave for an African
Who refused to be a slave
For the millions
For the millions who cut the cane
Picked the cotton
Whose names have been forgotten
Whose flesh has rotten
With the trees they hung us from
Cut out our tongues
Cut off our hands
If we played the drums
For the millions
For the millions
For the millions who were shot
Hung, beat,
Beat to death,
Tarred and feathered
Boiled in oil
Whip lashed
Backlashed
Broken-backed and thrown in the river
Castrated
Miseducated
Segregated
Integrated
Legislated
Fiber-constipated
For the millions
Who've been lied to
Denied to
Vampire-eyed to
Misguided too
And not be advised to
So be decided to
So be decided to
Get together
And change the weather
Not just for now
But forever
We decide to
Love each other
Stop the madness
And be real sisters and brothers
We decided to
Take a look at the beauty of ourselves
At this colored skin,
At this thick hair,
At these full lips
At this Africa
All inside our souls
Still breathing the breath of God
In our lungs
Greatness
Is where we're coming from
For the millions
For the millions
For the millions who marched
Who sang
Prayed
Sat-in
Laid in
Lived in
Jailed in
Boycotted
Picketed
Spit at
Cursed at
Yelled at
Like black's not where it's at
And we should be satisfied
To ride in the back
For Fannie Lou Hamer
And the Rosa Parks
And Eula May Johnson
And Harriet
And Sojourner
And Eleanor Bumpurs
And a scholar sure
And Gwendolyn Brooks
And for the Marcus
And the Malcolm
And the deacons and authors
And the Panthers
And chains of Langston
And Richards and Paul and Malick
And Marcus and Mack
And Sikwe
And Kunta Kinte too!
For the millions who knew
And those who've always known
That no matter what
Truth crushed to the earth
Shall rise again
No matter how many bullets
Prisons
Diseases
And death
No one can take our breath away
We are here to stay
No matter how much liquor and crack,
Nothing can kill the fact
That we are divine creation
Started civilizations
Built the pyramids and the sphinx
Taught the world how to pray and think
Not to mention inventions
We never got credit for
And all the babes we raised
Even when our own were ignored
For the millions
For the millions
For the millions with fire in their souls
That burns so bright
And the strength of our will
As dormant as the night
And the rhythm that we walk
And the rhythm that we talk
And the rhythm that we walk
And the rhythm that we talk
Even when we have nothing to say
We are the sounds
That put color and spice in the day
For the millions
Who are ready
To turn this thing around,
Who are tired of being tired
And crawling on the ground
For the millions who are ready
To turn this thing around,
Who are tired of being tired
And crawling on the ground
Tired to return
To our spiritual home,
Reclaim our throne
And leave this American nightmare
Alone
The millions
The millions, yeah
The millions
The millions, yeah
The millions
The millions, yeah
The millions
The millions, yeah
The millions