[Verse 1: Chuck D]
I occupy the planet Earth
I testify, it's a piece of work
I'm gratified down to the dirt
Been around the world a few times, I seen the hurt
Quakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes
Warning times to man's designs
Under that concrete y'all call the street
Is the heart of land, you can hear the beat
[Bridge]
The pain in all the lies, uh
And the pain in all them lives
The pain of losin' homes, yeah
With the pain of the unknown, yeah
And the pain of what you spent
The pain of government
No matter what you say, you don't pay
Here they come to take it away
So don't give it up
[Hook: Ziggy Marley and Flavor Flav]
Don't give up
You don't give up the fight (2x)
[Verse 2]
The foreign lands and the seven seas
Radiation is the world's disease
Bringing nations down to the knees
Mother Nature, she ain't pleased
Trees diseased, deep freeze
Doin' us like that government cheese
Smell that burning in the breeze
Summertime 120 degrees
[Bridge]
[Verse 3: Ziggy Marley:]
(Hey!) Pay close attention
Don't be distracted by invention
All the rappers around the nation
This is how you'll find redemption
[Verse 4:]
So shut 'em down in appreciation
Of the world itself and God's creation
What good is the 'hood if you up to no good
Them government gangsters would hang you on wood
Stop the tape, my mind's stuck in '68
Haight Asbury, now our a** buried in hate
I paraphrase beyond the gaze
A haze hovers over a crowd that disobeys
[Hook]
(How to fight the power, cannot run and hide) (x4)
(How to fight the power, cannot run and hide, shouldn't be suicide) (x4)