Shut 'Em Down

Album: Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black (1991)
Charted: 21
Play Video
  • I testified
    My mama cried
    Black people died
    When the other man lied

    See the TV listen to me double trouble
    I overhaul and I'm comin'
    From the lower level
    I'm takin' tabs

    Sho nuff stuff to grab
    Like shirts it hurts
    With a neck to wreck
    Took a poll 'cause our soul

    Took a toll
    From the education
    Of a TV station
    But look around

    Hear go the sound of the wreckin' ball
    Boom and Pound
    When I
    Shut 'em down

    One two three four five
    Six seven eight nine
    What I use in the battle for the mind
    I hit it hard
    Like it supposed

    Pullin' no blows to the nose
    Like uncle L said I'm rippin' up shows
    Then what it is
    Only 5 percent of the biz

    I'm addin' woes
    That's how da way it goes
    Then you think I rank never drank, point blank
    I own loans

    Suckers got me runnin' from the bank
    Civil liberty I can't see to pay a fee
    I never saw a way to pay a sap
    To read the law

    Then become a victim of a lawyer
    Don't know ya, never saw ya
    Tape cued
    Gettin' me sued

    Playin' games wit' my head
    What the judge said put me in the red
    Got me thinkin' 'bout a trigger to the lead
    No no

    My education mind say
    Suckers gonna pay
    Anyway
    There gonna be a day

    'Cause the troop they roll in
    To posse up
    Whole from the ground
    Ready to go

    Throw another round
    Sick of the ride
    It's suicide
    For the other side of town

    When I find a way to shut 'em down
    Who count the money
    In da neighborhood
    But we spendin' money

    To no end lookin' for a friend
    In a war to the core
    Rippin' up the poor in da stores
    Till they get a brother

    Kickin' down doors
    Then I figure I kick it bigger
    Look 'em dead in the eye
    And they wince

    Defense is pressurized
    They don't want it to be
    Another racial attack
    In disguise so give some money back

    I like Nike but wait a minute
    The neighborhood supports so put some
    Money in it
    Corporations owe

    Dey gotta give up the dough
    To da town
    Or else
    We gotta shut 'em down Writer/s: Carlton Ridenhour, Gary Rinaldo, Hank Shocklee, James Henry Boxley Iii
    Publisher: BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Colbie Caillat

Colbie CaillatSongwriter Interviews

Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Trucking Songs That Were #1 Hits

Trucking Songs That Were #1 HitsSong Writing

The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the Song

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the SongSong Writing

How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?