Shut 'em Down Songtext
von Public Enemy

Hold it, now
Come on, come on

All right, y′all

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 coming from the lower level
I′m taking tabs, sure enough, stuff to grab
Like shirts and 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, here go the sound of the wrecking ball
Boom and pound when I shut 'em down


I shut ′em down
(Shut ′em down, shut 'em, shut ′em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut ′em down, shut 'em, shut ′em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut 'em down, shut ′em, shut ′em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut ′em down, shut 'em, shut ′em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut ′em down, shut 'em, shut 'em down)
I shut ′em down
(Shut ′em down, shut 'em, shut ′em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut ′em down, shut 'em, shut ′em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut 'em down, shut ′em, shut ′em down)

Come on
All right

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine
What I use in a battle for the mind
Hit it hard like you're suppose
Pull no blows to the nose
Like Uncle L said, I′m rippin' up shows
Paying what it is is only five percent of the biz
I′m adding woes, that's the way it goes
Then you think I rank I never drank, point blank
I own loans, suckers got me running 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, getting me sued
Playing games with my head, what the judge said
Put me in the red, got me thinking 'bout a trigger to the leg
No, no, my educated mind say
Suckers gonna pay anyway, there gonna be a day
′Cause the troop they roll in
The 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

I shut ′em down
(Shut 'em down, shut ′em, shut 'em down)
I shut ′em down
(Shut 'em down, shut 'em, shut ′em down)
I shut ′em down
(Shut 'em down, shut ′em, shut 'em down)
I shut ′em down
(Shut 'em down, shut ′em, shut 'em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut ′em down, shut ′em, shut 'em down)
I shut ′em down
(Shut 'em down, shut ′em, shut 'em down)
I shut ′em down
(Shut 'em down, shut 'em, shut ′em down)
I shut ′em down
(Shut 'em down, shut ′em, shut 'em down)

Hold it
Come on
All right, y′all
Alright, y'all
Come on, now

Hey

Who count the money in the neighborhood?
But we spending money to no end, looking for a friend
In a war to the core, ripping up the poor in the stores
Until they get a brother kicking down doors
Then I figure I can get bigger, look ′em dead in the eye
And they wince, defense is pressurized
They don't really 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
All corporations owe, they gotta give up the dough
To my town or else we gotta shut 'em down

I shut ′em down
(Shut ′em down, shut 'em, shut ′em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut ′em down, shut 'em, shut ′em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut 'em down, shut ′em, shut ′em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut ′em down, shut 'em, shut ′em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut ′em down, shut 'em, shut 'em down)
I shut ′em down
(Shut ′em down, shut 'em, shut ′em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut ′em down, shut 'em, shut ′em down)
I shut 'em down
(Shut 'em down, shut ′em, shut ′em down)

All right, y'all, one more time, here we go again
All right, come on
Uh, get down, hold it, come on
Wait a minute now

Huh
Hey, hey, hey
Yeah, yeah, I know you got soul
Pump the beat, pump the beat
The fall beat, y′all
Uh, bring it low, bring it low, bring it low, y'all

Howdy, y′all
This is Bernie Crosshouse, yours truly of the KKK.
I'd like to express our deepest gratitude at the destruction of the inferior nigger race
And I′m especially pleased to report it's destroyin' itself without our help
To all you gangs, hoodlums, drug pushers and users
And other worthless niggers killin′ each other
We′d like to thank y'all for savin′ us the time, trouble and legality
For the final chapter of riddin' y′all off the face of the Earth
Your solution to our problem is greatly appreciated
So keep selling us your soul
Thank you