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Brother Lyrics by Gil Scott-Heron

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

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There are a lot of comments about who's blacker than you are, and who's blacker than she is, blacker than thou
In other words, it's a sort of trend
And, in looking on various street corners in Harlem, I'm sure you seen it yourself
Standing on a soapbox on the corner, is an alleged brother
Dressed in blue and black dashikis or green, red and black dashikis
And spouting the news that the revolution is coming and you'd better get ready
Sorta-like the end of the world is coming
I saw recent commercials that said:
"Unfortunately, the world is just going to drag on and on"
And we have a poem that we've written particularly for the brothers on the street corners
And it's called just that, "Brother"
We deal in too many externals, brother.
Always afros, handshakes, and dashikis.
Never can a man build a working structure for black capitalism.
Always does the man read Mao or Fanon.
I think I know you would-be black revolutionaries too well.
Standing on a box on a corner, talking about blowing the white boy away.
That's not where it's at, yet, brother.
Calling this man an Uncle Tom,
And telling this woman to get an afro,
But you won't speak to her if she looks like hell, will you, brother?
Some of us been checking you act out kinda close.
And by now it's looking kinda shaky, the way you been rushing people with your super-black bag.
Jumping down on some black men with both feet because they are after their B.A.
But you're never around when your B.A. is in danger.
I mean your black ass.
I think it was a little too easy for you to forget that you were a negro before Malcolm.
You drove your white girl through the village every Friday night,
While the grass roots stared in envy and drank wine.
Do you remember?
You need get your memory banks organized, brother.
Show that man you call an Uncle Tom just where he is wrong.
Show that woman that you are a sincere black man.
All we need to do is see you shut up and be black.
Help that woman.
Help that man.
That's what brothers are for, brother.
Credits
Gil Scott-Heron

Gil Scott-Heron

About “Brother” by Gil Scott-Heron

Read the complete lyrics to "Brother" by Gil Scott-Heron from the album "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Brother" is performed by Gil Scott-Heron. from the album "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Brother", explore more songs by Gil Scott-Heron using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Brother" is credited to Gil Scott-Heron. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Brother" appears on "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised".

Visit the Gil Scott-Heron artist page at /artist/gil-scott-heron for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.