Every time I hear the crack of a whip My blood runs cold I remember on the slave ship How they brutalized our very soul Today they say that we are free Only to be chained in poverty Good god I think it's illiteracy Only a machine that makes
CHORUS
Slave driver your table has turned Catch a fire Your gonna get burned Slave driver your table has turned Catch a fire Your gonna get burned
VERSE
Now dem take up the ghetto youths And gi dem pure magazine And take up another set And gi dem pure 16 And play dem dirty games Of bloody plots and schemes And watch dem like a show Ah harbor view big screen And con mi brother dem And go buy dem cream And turn dem inna police And bring dem in pon dem team Ah wah dis father Him drive10 grand worth ah government Lada and fight against the ones who have the same forefather him next door neighbor all weed we charge for we children slaughter ah we dem want murder just read di observer right now the city can't get no absurder after 400 years and whole heap ah brown sugar we ambush we brother and go on like never used to plan slavery revolt inna di bush dem together we change just like di weather
VERSE (Stephen Marley)
CHORUS
Sons of slaves chant down sons of di slave driver Nah spear slave rider neither And if dem could dem would tax you pon saliva How much more must we die for The ones in the car while we're standing at the terminus The government bogus They don't work for us Instead dem chain and whip we with domestic fuss And guns and aids and drugs Cause most of di youths wid di schooling dem have Can't get no money from legitimate jobs Then you wonder why dem grab chain and bags You influence the youths fi turn gays and fags Or else dem canÕt afford not even torn up rags But table ah turn as mi turn table spun Di fire we ah catch up all a blaze and ah bun Dats why any time you see Rasta you run
VERSE (Stephen Marley)
We nuh want no Babylon government Weh ah burn down ganja man tent And den ah come wid dem one bag ah tax argument When we can't pay light bill and rent Mi sight dem ah lead ghetto youths Every which part dem went And ah pure wrong corner dem bent So next time, dem pass thru you and your crew Don't give dem no encouragement A YO!! Just start run dem out And start bun dem out Ah your environment A YO!! We want know bout ah Every red cent out ah Poor people money dem spent And then We want know down who Pay di bills when the prime minister car dent And then We want know when dem ah come reposes All these guns and drugs they've sent