[Verse 1]
This morning I woke up in a curfew
O God, I was a prisoner, too - yeah!
Could not recognize the faces standing over me
They were all dressed in uniforms of brutality. (Ay!)

How many rivers do we have to cross
Before we can talk to the boss? (Yeah!)
All that we got, it seems we have lost
We must have really paid the cost

(That's why we going to be)
Burning and a-looting tonight
(Say we going to burn and loot)
Burning and a-looting tonight
(One more thing)
Burning all pollution tonight
(Oh, yeah, yeah)
Burning all illusion tonight

Oh, stop them!

[Chorus]
Give me the food and let me grow
Let the Roots Man take a blow
All them drugs going to make you slow now
It's not the music of the ghetto. (Ay!)
[Verse 2]
Weeping and a-wailing tonight
(Who can stop the tears?)
Weeping and a-wailing tonight
(We've been suffering these long, long-a years!)
Weeping and a-wailing tonight
(Will you say cheer?)
Weeping and a-wailing tonight
(But where?)

[Chorus]
Give me the food and let me grow
Let the Roots Man take a blow
All them drugs going to make you slow now
It's not the music of the ghetto. (Ay!)

[Verse 3]
We going to be burning and a-looting tonight
(To survive, yeah!)
Burning and a-looting tonight
(Save your baby lives)
Burning all pollution tonight
(Pollution, yeah, yeah!)
Burning all illusion tonight
(Lord-a, Lord-a, Lord-a, Lord!)
[Outro]
Burning and a-looting tonight
Burning and a-looting tonight