I Salute You by King Pinn Lyrics
[Hook]
I salute you
Everyone who died as a slave
I salute you
Anyone who cried from the pain
I salute you
Anyone who fought to be free
I salute you
Everyone who taught me to dream
I salute you
Anyone who sacrificed themselves
I salute you
Those who spent half their life in jail
I salute you
Those who felt pride in their skin
I salute you
Dark African melanin
[Verse 1]
Yo, the land of milk and honey was built on money generated
By a generation of slaves who stayed poor
Despite the elimination of segregation and slavery
Their bravery remains with me, never forgotten
But I can think back when they was niggas and spits
Driven by whips and their salaries were nickels and beads
Never found its way to the wardrobes of poor folks
Who’s poor, soaked in sweat from chores they did
Sores from whips turned into permanent scars
And lashes from their masters
Determined how hard they toiled the soil
And hit hard enough to boil
The brown skin from their backs and still paid tax
I feel blacks got the short straw
'Cause we still ain’t got half what we fought for
We fought hoards of clan members
Neo Nazis and lantanas but we still getting manipulated like antennas
Time to stand, get up
Tell the man that we fed up
Until we get our proper respect we can’t let up
And thousands of people could lose their lives to it
The least you can do is open up your eyes to it
[Hook]
I salute you
Everyone who died as a slave
I salute you
Anyone who cried from the pain
I salute you
Anyone who fought to be free
I salute you
Everyone who taught me to dream
I salute you
Anyone who sacrificed themselves
I salute you
Those who spent half their life in jail
I salute you
Those who felt pride in their skin
I salute you
Dark African melanin
[Verse 2]
My forefathers saw the harbors of the land of freedom Shackled in the back of the ship to the crack of the whip Brought from Africa’s tip after a battle of wits
And auctioned off like possessions at the masters request Leaving masses and kids, clusters, bastards striped of a past And for centuries forbidden to ask
They say this is the past but it isn’t
The system that we live under today is still capitalism
Driven by the ideologies of property and wealth
Disregarding the spiritual poverty within ourselves
So men and women knew that they had to overthrow 'em
To see the freedom African people had once known
With guns drawn and revolution, they produced independence And ended their colonial sentence
They defended the oppressed from the rule
Of people who use church and schools, as propaganda tools
Like the panthers and the Jews
They were slandered and abused
And still had the courage to stand up and refuse
I can’t even begin to imagine what you went through
For this land that I stand on, I salute you
[Hook]
I salute you
Everyone who died as a slave
I salute you
Anyone who cried from the pain
I salute you
Anyone who fought to be free
I salute you
Everyone who taught me to dream
I salute you
Anyone who sacrificed themselves
I salute you
Those who spent half their life in jail
I salute you
Those who felt pride in their skin
I salute you
Dark African melanin
[Bridge]
Everyone who died as a slave
Anyone who cried from the pain
Anyone who fought to be free
Everyone who taught me to dream
Anyone who sacrificed themselves
Those who spent half their life in jail
Those who felt pride in their skin
Dark African melanin
[Verse 3]
Last night an ambulance whizzed by
I didn’t blink an eye
But when I woke up this morning I got to thinking why
People die from the same old things
How come we don’t clarify and try to change those things
'Cause that brother in that ambulance, never had a chance
And he only made it worse with them baggy pants
'Cause police could identify him
As a member of the black man’s new alliance
Hip hop an institution of true defiance
Speaking out to the people to unify em’
Instead of using iron
My tools are microphones and break beats
Our plan of action is escape the streets
African, Puerto Rican and Jamaican peeps
Black American, Indian and Haitian peeps
We are all black, it’s a fact so let’s play for keeps
Being strapped to the teeth ain’t gon' make you free
You got to take your seeds, teach 'em right from wrong
Darkness natures sin and these nights is long
But my lights is on, so I can see clearly
Let me see a show of hands if you feel me
But I'ma still be hoping to rise out of the struggle
Opening eyes, planning a Babel panic is trouble
But I ain’t trying to scare people
As an MC, my mission is to prepare people
[Hook]
I salute you
Everyone who died as a slave
I salute you
Anyone who cried from the pain
I salute you
Anyone who fought to be free
I salute you
Everyone who taught me to dream
I salute you
Anyone who sacrificed themselves
I salute you
Those who spent half their life in jail
I salute you
Those who felt pride in their skin
I salute you
Dark African melanin
[Outro]
Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, Martin Luther King
Malcolm X, KRS, Public Enemy, Joshua Nkomo
Samora Machel, Nelson Mandela
My mother, my father, my forefathers the list goes on
I salute you, I salute you, I salute you
I salute you
Everyone who died as a slave
I salute you
Anyone who cried from the pain
I salute you
Anyone who fought to be free
I salute you
Everyone who taught me to dream
I salute you
Anyone who sacrificed themselves
I salute you
Those who spent half their life in jail
I salute you
Those who felt pride in their skin
I salute you
Dark African melanin
[Verse 1]
Yo, the land of milk and honey was built on money generated
By a generation of slaves who stayed poor
Despite the elimination of segregation and slavery
Their bravery remains with me, never forgotten
But I can think back when they was niggas and spits
Driven by whips and their salaries were nickels and beads
Never found its way to the wardrobes of poor folks
Who’s poor, soaked in sweat from chores they did
Sores from whips turned into permanent scars
And lashes from their masters
Determined how hard they toiled the soil
And hit hard enough to boil
The brown skin from their backs and still paid tax
I feel blacks got the short straw
'Cause we still ain’t got half what we fought for
We fought hoards of clan members
Neo Nazis and lantanas but we still getting manipulated like antennas
Time to stand, get up
Tell the man that we fed up
Until we get our proper respect we can’t let up
And thousands of people could lose their lives to it
The least you can do is open up your eyes to it
[Hook]
I salute you
Everyone who died as a slave
I salute you
Anyone who cried from the pain
I salute you
Anyone who fought to be free
I salute you
Everyone who taught me to dream
I salute you
Anyone who sacrificed themselves
I salute you
Those who spent half their life in jail
I salute you
Those who felt pride in their skin
I salute you
Dark African melanin
[Verse 2]
My forefathers saw the harbors of the land of freedom Shackled in the back of the ship to the crack of the whip Brought from Africa’s tip after a battle of wits
And auctioned off like possessions at the masters request Leaving masses and kids, clusters, bastards striped of a past And for centuries forbidden to ask
They say this is the past but it isn’t
The system that we live under today is still capitalism
Driven by the ideologies of property and wealth
Disregarding the spiritual poverty within ourselves
So men and women knew that they had to overthrow 'em
To see the freedom African people had once known
With guns drawn and revolution, they produced independence And ended their colonial sentence
They defended the oppressed from the rule
Of people who use church and schools, as propaganda tools
Like the panthers and the Jews
They were slandered and abused
And still had the courage to stand up and refuse
I can’t even begin to imagine what you went through
For this land that I stand on, I salute you
[Hook]
I salute you
Everyone who died as a slave
I salute you
Anyone who cried from the pain
I salute you
Anyone who fought to be free
I salute you
Everyone who taught me to dream
I salute you
Anyone who sacrificed themselves
I salute you
Those who spent half their life in jail
I salute you
Those who felt pride in their skin
I salute you
Dark African melanin
[Bridge]
Everyone who died as a slave
Anyone who cried from the pain
Anyone who fought to be free
Everyone who taught me to dream
Anyone who sacrificed themselves
Those who spent half their life in jail
Those who felt pride in their skin
Dark African melanin
[Verse 3]
Last night an ambulance whizzed by
I didn’t blink an eye
But when I woke up this morning I got to thinking why
People die from the same old things
How come we don’t clarify and try to change those things
'Cause that brother in that ambulance, never had a chance
And he only made it worse with them baggy pants
'Cause police could identify him
As a member of the black man’s new alliance
Hip hop an institution of true defiance
Speaking out to the people to unify em’
Instead of using iron
My tools are microphones and break beats
Our plan of action is escape the streets
African, Puerto Rican and Jamaican peeps
Black American, Indian and Haitian peeps
We are all black, it’s a fact so let’s play for keeps
Being strapped to the teeth ain’t gon' make you free
You got to take your seeds, teach 'em right from wrong
Darkness natures sin and these nights is long
But my lights is on, so I can see clearly
Let me see a show of hands if you feel me
But I'ma still be hoping to rise out of the struggle
Opening eyes, planning a Babel panic is trouble
But I ain’t trying to scare people
As an MC, my mission is to prepare people
[Hook]
I salute you
Everyone who died as a slave
I salute you
Anyone who cried from the pain
I salute you
Anyone who fought to be free
I salute you
Everyone who taught me to dream
I salute you
Anyone who sacrificed themselves
I salute you
Those who spent half their life in jail
I salute you
Those who felt pride in their skin
I salute you
Dark African melanin
[Outro]
Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, Martin Luther King
Malcolm X, KRS, Public Enemy, Joshua Nkomo
Samora Machel, Nelson Mandela
My mother, my father, my forefathers the list goes on
I salute you, I salute you, I salute you