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Spearhead — Rock the Nation
Album: Stay Human
Avg rating:
4.9

Your rating:
Total ratings: 85









Released: 2001
Length: 4:22
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me
Jai guru deva, om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letterbox they
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe
Jai guru deva, om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing
Through my open ears inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe
Jai guru deva, om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva
Two, one-two-three-four!
Ev'rybody's talking 'bout
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism, is-m, is-m, is-m
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Hit it
C'mon, ev'rybody's talking about
Ministers, sinisters, banisters and canisters
Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Popeyes and bye-bye, bye-byes
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Let me tell you now
Ev'rybody's talking 'bout
Revolution, evolution, masturbation, flagellation, regulation, integrations
Meditations, United Nations, congratulations
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Ev'rybody's talking 'bout
John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary, Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper
Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer, Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna, Hare, Hare Krishna
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Heaven on earth
We need it now
I'm sick of all of this
Hanging around
Sick of sorrow
Sick of the pain
And sick of hearing again and again
That there's gonna be
Peace on earth
Where I grew up
There weren't many trees
Where there was we'd tear them down
And use them on our enemies
They say that what you mock
Will surely overtake you
And you become a monster
So the monster will not break you
And it's already gone too far
Who said that if you go in hard
You won't get hurt?
Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line?
Peace on earth
Tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on earth
No who's or why's
No one cries like a mother cries
For peace on earth
She never got to say goodbye
To see the colour in his eyes
Now he's in the dirt
Peace on earth
They're reading names out over the radio
All the folks the rest of us won't get to know
Seán And Julia Gareth, Ann and Breda
Their lives are bigger than any big idea
Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line?
Peace on earth
To tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on earth
Jesus in this song you wrote
The words are sticking in my throat
Peace on earth
Hear it every Christmas time
But hope and history won't rhyme
So what's it worth?
This peace on earth
Peace on earth
Peace on earth
Peace on earth
When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be
Let it be, let it be
A-let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer
Let it be
For though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be, let it be
A-let it be, let it be
Yeah, there will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be, let it be
A-let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
Let it be, let it be
A-let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow
Let it be
I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be-e
Yeah, let it be, let it be
Let it be, yeah, let it be
Oh, there will be an answer
Let it be-e
Let it be, let it be
A-let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
We livin' in a mean time and an aggressive time
a painful time, a time where cynicism rots to the vine
in a time where violence blocks the summer shine
lifetimes, go by in a flash
in search for love, in search for cash
everybody wanna be some fat tycoon
everybody wanna be on a tropic honeymoon
nobody wanna sing a little bit out of tune
or be the backbone of a rebel platoon
it's too soon to step out of line
you might get laughed at you might get fined
but do you feel me when I say I feel pain everyday
when I see the way my friends gotta slave
and never get ahead of bills they gotta pay
no way no way!
some make a living doing killilng Colombian penicillin
some are willing to play the villain they just chillin'
to pass the time, pass the information
or pass the wine
pass the buck or pass the baton
but you can't pass the police or the pentagon
the I.R.S. or the upper echelon
I think it's time to make a move on the contradiction
Bam-Bam, rock the nation
take over television and radio station
Bam-Bam the truth shall come
give the corporation some complication!
This is the dawning of our time I say it one more time
to emphasize the meaning of my rhyme
to rise above all the dirt and grime
add the right spice at the right time
fuck the constitution
are we part of the solution or are we part of the pollution
sittin' by and wonderin' why,
things ain't the way we like to find them to be, to be
for you and for me the people over there and the ones in between
check our habitation are we a peace lovin' nation
peace lovin' nation
I have a reasonable doubt I think I'll just spell it out
there's no need to scream or to shout
the N.R.A. just bought a man's soul
then he jumps up and shouts gun control
the government says that killin's a sin
unless you kill a murderer with a lethal syringe
so I ask again "are we peace lover's then"
some of them slang guns when they six years old
some of them end up in some six foot hole
this whole damn place seems to, lost control
so I raise my voice before I lose my soul
Bam-Bam, rock the nation
take over television and radio station
Bam-Bam the truth shall come
give the corporation some complication!
Bam-Bam, rock the nation
take over television and radio station
Bam-Bam the truth shall come
give the corporation some complication!
Radio Ragga Mike!
This is the way I'll express my feelings
vibe revealed and revolved spinnin on a record y'all
try to confiscate take what I communicate with
it's ancient gift of the lip steady creating
activating passin vocal vibrations to the blind plus the seeing
human doesn't mean just being
be coming don't believe it just belife it
belongings or beloved rehearse it or recite it
while shining drop your guns and move your tongues
battle motivation in no time lyrics come
sometimes fun others run their mouth or away
my mind co beaming like an early sunray
one day we'll get the picture and all combine
less the talking bout mines is mine and become one mind
every piece of the puzzle has its place
to build the piece of the puzzle called the human race
Taking it long enough we crush the formal journalistic
dyslexic critters talk backwards to rap words
I'm sure raising my hands with questions and demands
statements and a plan with a map of the land
Bam-Bam, rock the nation
take over television and radio station
Bam-Bam the truth shall come
give the corporation some complication!
Comments (38)add comment
I like this song. I'm indifferent towards Franti's politics, but he sure can rock at times. Love the chorus.
Posted 20 years ago by WonkoTheSane    [ Reply ]
Folks, it's not RP without some diversity. Please quit your and grow up. I couldn't even read all the comments it's so disappointing. This song has played what? 5 times in the last year? I hope we hear more :p RAP :p and maybe get some tastes of spoken word. If we could get some decent conversation about the tracks, maybe those RP listeners who enjoy something outside of their comfort zone could benefit from the experiences and insights of the many wonderful peeps around here and maybe find something new they like. -ptah
Posted 21 years ago by ptah    [ Reply ]
A good song off of a great album; the entire album is lyrically amazing and very diverse musically. I\'d recommend the title track off of this album, along with \"Every Single Soul\" and \"Love\'ll Set Me Free\". And yes, this song is the most rap-like on the album (styles range from old school R&B to Funk), in case that rap is a little too... eclectic... for some people\'s tastes. ;)
Posted 21 years ago by engelwurm    [ Reply ]
Ok, Im going to stop listening to RP for a few days.
Posted 21 years ago by eval    [ Reply ]
Caught this set sitting at my desk. From Hank Williams to Michael Franti: a strange but exhilarating ride!
Posted 21 years ago by tonypf    [ Reply ]
I gave this an 8. Might go to a 9 with a few more listens. Great flow, interesting lyrics, good music. And its nice to hear a black man rapping on a \"rock\" station. It generally seems that, with the exception of Cypress Hill, the only rap that gets played on rock or alternative stations is white rap: Beasties and Eminem come to mind. Now why would an alternative station (such as 101X in Austin) play Eminem and not Dre? B/C he\'s \"cool\". Why is he cool enough, probably cause he\'s a white rapper and that makes him different and provocative.
Posted 21 years ago by faramir    [ Reply ]
good stuff, but we need a little more of this kind of thing. ima upload some stuff from the coup. won\'t get accepted, but it\'s worth a try. and someone said franti isn\'t saying anything new? what is so freaking revolutionary about anything played on rp? it aint rocket science, folks, it\'s music...
Posted 21 years ago by downbylaw    [ Reply ]
Ohhh.... Stay QUIET!!
Posted 21 years ago by Detlaps    [ Reply ]
I have been a Michael Franti fan for years, since Disposable Heros of Hiphopracy days. And I really think it is a mistake to make statements like "I don't like rap" or "I don't like country western" because in my humble opinion and in my experience there are exceptions to every rule. I don't like music that offends me, but Michael Franti is such an important artist and member of the hip hop community, promoting peace and social justice. He's a talented musician, and he's getting an important message out in the world, which is what a lot of hip hop is about. And a lot of the really good music like this isn't getting airplay. Meshel Ndegeocello, for example, is one of the most tallented musicians of her generation, and because she is hip hop, or perhaps because of her politics, she doesn't get a lot of airplay. She was nominated for a Grammy this year though. Anyway, I am fan of many kinds of music, from Dolly Parton to Michael Franti, and there is not conflict of interest anywhere. Good music is good music.
Posted 21 years ago by Gs_Girl    [ Reply ]
Zzzzzzzzz..... I may live in Berkeley, but this guy has nothing new to say.... this kind of stuff is plastered on phone poles all over town here, but that\'s as far as it ever goes.... If people like this did have power, and a shot at executing (sic) their beliefs, things would be no better than they are now, and might be a damn sight worse. Playing the same game as those he opposes is not the sort of thing I\'m into. My two kopeks.
Posted 21 years ago by rgrace    [ Reply ]
There can be good rap, there can be bad rap. 99% of all rap is complete garbage. As far as Rap music, this is okay. I wasn\'t immediately scrambling for a change of venue. As far as general music? Its bleah. 10 seconds of editing would have mmade it a lot better. \"Whoop whoop?\" Please. :roll:
Posted 21 years ago by shayde    [ Reply ]
Music is meant to stir emotion, and this cut has surely done that. A little hip hop now and again can't hurt. What other station in the world would play this, and a Béla Fleck tune, in the same hour.
Posted 21 years ago by zaknafein    [ Reply ]
This is good. Something for everyone.
Posted 21 years ago by apathy    [ Reply ]
Originally Posted by Cy: Gil Scott-Heron's "Revolution Will Not Be Televised" would be an interesting song to segue with this one.
I agree, that is a great song - and appropriate for RP.
Posted 21 years ago by marycrichards    [ Reply ]
Hey, while it may be rap It can still be crap Bom Bom
Posted 21 years ago by ndanger666    [ Reply ]
You know, you can not spell "CRAP" without "RAP"
Posted 21 years ago by KevinM    [ Reply ]
Originally Posted by tomnam: Most of the comments below are about the genre of music (rap) people like or dislike and not about the music and artist themselves.
Uh, OK. This specific artist and his music sucks. You are right about one thing though. It shouldn't bother anybody. I just turn off the station every time this song is played. Problem solved.
Posted 21 years ago by His_DivineShadow    [ Reply ]
Most of the comments below are about the genre of music (rap) people like or dislike and not about the music and artist themselves. Rap gets a bad rap because of the explotation and forced marketing of negative, hate-filled, self-righteous (c)rap. But that is only a small part of the picture. I personally think Michael Franti\'s Spearhead projects are artistic and I applaud his positivity. He is not afraid to state his opinions and music is his outlet. I\'m not one to listen to rap but I do enjoy listening to the positive messages and powerful points of view that Franti and Co. offer. This particular CD is a great example of using one\'s creative power for a a greater good. Sure he said, \"F**** the constitution, but there is a reason for it outside of just shear shock value. I don\'t feel preached to because I can always turn it off - but I don\'t. I listen to what the man has to say. I don\'t agree 100% across the board with everything he says but his music and sheer energy creates a median for discussion and awareness. I am also into spoken word and thoughtful expression - combine that with urban and world rhythms and you get a potent mix. Anyway, that\'s just my two cents. :D
Posted 21 years ago by tomnam    [ Reply ]
Originally Posted by rasha: if you can get past the initial negative reaction to rap and all his cursing, he seems to have something important to say... it's never a good idea to just ignore people's feelings, especially when those feelings are so strong...clearly the case here Musically it's not as bad as some rap songs out there...
Gotta agree with you there. Not a big rap fan myself, but this track seems to have a message to it. Gil Scott-Heron's "Revolution Will Not Be Televised" would be an interesting song to segue with this one.
Posted 22 years ago by Cy    [ Reply ]
as i write this with the volume turned off, i think to myself, there is no worse aural torture than listening to rap.
Posted 22 years ago by red    [ Reply ]
Yuck....sounds like summin\'s been yankin\' wif ma radio knob.
Posted 22 years ago by Tesseract    [ Reply ]
I, for one, completely agree with Michael Franti\'s politics and find his music energizing & thought provoking. Thanks for playing this, RP! :D
Posted 22 years ago by travlingrrl    [ Reply ]
Bleaaaaaaaaa... :(
Posted 22 years ago by neos    [ Reply ]
Does someone need a hug?
Originally Posted by LAfadeaway: f**k you too. My guess is that you are some uptight white guy in middle america. Doubtful you've ever been f**ked over by the U.S. Government or put on death row for a murder you didn't commit. Go on, keep giving your dollars to the Republicans and the massive corporations to subsidize their yachts, sports cars and SUVs. Whose the sucker?!?
Posted 22 years ago by omboy    [ Reply ]
Dog toss :oops:
Posted 22 years ago by Cagey    [ Reply ]
Crap! Easy, switch off until it's finished ;) Ahh, much better.
Posted 22 years ago by Ragnarr    [ Reply ]
You MUST check our Spearhead. Both early albums available are great, the latest (third) has its moments. The first is a classic and one of my most played albums. . . and I\'m really fussy. :D
Posted 22 years ago by SquiddlyDiddly    [ Reply ]
:D Keeping me on my toes. thanks bill.
Posted 22 years ago by Dustin    [ Reply ]
Wow - look at all the comments! That alone should be a big sign to keep this song active in the Playlist! rock the mic!
Posted 22 years ago by MissJenn    [ Reply ]
Mix it up, Bill. Right on!
Posted 22 years ago by tailwaggers    [ Reply ]