Lay me down some clean licks;
We all need some cool kicks-
A sick beat or a slow jam,
We’ll take what we can.
Every day is so hard.
This is why we need to dance
And sing, though we are crying.
Let our hearts and bodies move.
Our troubles, our troubles are many, yeah,
But they will not throw us down.
We have known joys, too.
Joys to hold in the air
And toss to each other as we dance
In the midst of our mourning.
We have known greatness
And will again, for we are strong.
Strong enough to move on
To do the work that need to be done
With gladness in our hearts
And resolution in our steps.
Sing, dance, cry, move, mourn,
Work hard and finally, brothers and sisters and all kindred,
Oh, yes, V>O>T>E.