Rage Against The Machine - Wake Up Lyrics

[Intro]
Come on
Ugh
Come on

[Verse 1]
Although ya try to discredit, ya still never read it
The needle, I'll thread it, radically poetic
Standin' with the fury that they had in '66
And like E-Double "I'm Mad", still knee deep in the system's shit
Hoover, he was a body remover
I'll give you a dose but it'll never come close
To the rage built up inside of me
Fist in the air in the land of hypocrisy
Movements come and movements go
Leaders speak, movements cease when their heads are flown
'Cause all these punks got bullets in their heads
Departments of police, (What!) the judges (What!), the feds
Networks at work, keeping people calm
You know they went after King when he spoke out on Vietnam
He turned the power to the have-nots
And then came the shot

[Interlude]
Yeah
Yeah, back in this

[Verse 2]
With poetry my mind I flex
"Flip" like Wilson, vocals never lackin' that finesse
What do I got to, what do I got to do to wake you up?
To shake you up, to break the structure up?
'Cause blood still flows in the gutter
I'm like taking photos, mad boy kicks open the shutter
Set the groove, then stick and move like I was Cassius
Rep the "Stutter Step" then bomb a left upon the fascists
Yeah, several federal men
Who pulled schemes on the dream and put it to an end
You better beware of retribution with mind war
20/20 visions and murals with metaphors
Networks at work, keepin' people calm
Ya know they murdered X and tried to blame it on Islam
He turned the power to the have-nots
And then came the shot

[Bridge]
What was the price on his head?
What was the price on his head!?
I think I heard a shot
I think I heard a shot
I think I heard a shot
I think I heard a shot
I think I heard a shot
I think I heard
I think I heard a shot

[Interlude]
"Black Nationalism... [...]
[He] may be a brave contender for this position
But should he abandon his supposed 'obedience'
To the 'White liberal doctrine' of non-violence
And embrace Black Nationalism"
Through counter-intelligence, it should be possible
To pinpoint potential troublemakers and neutralize them
Through counter-intelligence, it should be possible
To pinpoint potential troublemakers and neutralize them
And neutralize them, and neutralize them
And neutralize them, and neutralize them
And neutralize them"

[Chorus]
Wake up
Wake up
Wake up
Wake up
Wake up
Wake up
Wake up
Wake up

[Outro]
How long? Not long
'Cause what you reap is what you sow