[Intro: Henry Oak]
Ooh! Y’all know Professor Oak got love for all things geologic
But this world consists of more than just the ground beneath our feet
In fact, that’s what this rap song is all about
Dig it!
[Verse 1]
Last week I took a hike on a nature trail
On the hunt for metasedimentary shale
Airpods in my ears to blast my trail mix
But I was down to the last of my trail mix
On the drive home heard my tummy grumble
Needed to refuel and recharge on the double
Luckily there was a co-op on the way, granted
Not the one our monthly dues go to pay
Couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw what they had done inside
The wording on the labels of the aisles blew my mind, first off
Apparently rice is “ethnic” food now!?
Imagine my fingers doing air quotes by my mouth
Now “caucasian” is an ethnicity too
But I look around this aisle and I don’t see German food
I know it doesn’t seem like it should be a big deal
But who lets you decide what’s an American meal?
[Chorus 1]
Racism doesn’t rock
But sometimes it can be kinda hard to spot
You don’t even realize that you’re microaggressin’
It ain’t okay but today we’re gonna learn the lesson
[Verse 2]
Now you got every right to be dubious
Of a cis white hippie fightin phobias
Truth be told, my ignorance was copious
Until I saw a Disney movie called Zootopia!
It’s about a bunny named Judy Hopps
And Nick the slick fox, they’re like buddy cops
And as they save the city from a faceless plot
Nick calls Judy on her racist thoughts
See, Judy sees the world in terms of predators and prey
And though she means well, bias leads her astray
“Oh dang,” I said, as I put back the Blu-Ray
“This story is a metaphor for how we view race!”
You see, Martin Luther King Junior had a dream
But if the Mayor Bellwethers gets away with their schemes
By preying on the prejudice we leave unseen
We’ll never be equal so it’s time to come clean!
[Chorus 2]
Racism doesn’t rock
But sometimes you just gotta take stock
Of the ways that you were, and the ways that you are
What words do you sing when you’re alone in your car?
[Verse 3]
Now some of you are saying, “Hey, that ain’t me!
I’ve always been down with equality!”
Well, pop quiz, hotshot, what do you do
When you see bigotry in front of you?
If you turn away from what you see
You’re enabling white supremacy
You gotta do more if you’re Caucasian
Use your privilege to save this nation!
How? Dang, man, how the heck should I know?
I’m just a San Dimas fella with a nice home
Even though I rap, and I make donations
And I never ate at Souplantation
Sometimes I feel like I’m just woke for show
Even though society is broke for sure
I feel so useless, I get so steamed
Hotter, hotter, hotter, till I’ve gotta scream!
[Bridge]
Racism doesn’t rock
But on a systemic level, it has to stop
We gotta do more than like some tweets
We gotta take this fight right to the streets
Uh! I’m frickin’ ticked, y’all!
Yeah, Henry Oak is steamed!
Listen up, kids!
One two!
[Verse 4]
Who picked the cotton? Who owned the fields?
Who built the railroads? Who greased the wheels?
This house of cards is a loaded deck
Built by hands we chained below the decks
In the words of Lenin: "Cui prodest?"
White men - and we’ll never make it right til we protest
The moral arc of history bends towards justice
Only when you bend it with a pair of just fists!
[Chorus 3]
Rise up till they put you in the ground
Burn it all down, like motherfuckin’ John Brown
True allies don’t fuck around
Burn it all down like motherfuckin’ John Brown
[Verse 5]
Start a riot, smash the state
Split some heads when you storm the gates
Torch a facist with a flamin’ molotov
If he’s still breathing put him down with ya sawed off
Rip the heads off these motherf-
[Outro: Henry Oak]
Huh? Oh no babe, I’m doing my raps down here, yeah, I’m still doing the racism rap
Uh, hey, everyone, I gotta wrap this up. Listen, I feel like I got a little carried away there. It’s important to express your anger - even your desire for violence - in your art. But I just wanna make it clear violent protest is… it’s complicated. Don’t take my word for it, a good place to start honestly would be Satyagraha by Gandhi. Oh! And I just heard about a very interesting book on Fresh Air - it’s called The End of Protest, it’s by Micah White, who was one of the founders of the Occupy movement
His central thesis is that -- oop, we’re fading out, I gotta go. Only love can drive out hate! The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. Though, that quote really gets taken out of context - Audre Lorde wasn’t trying to discourage activism, she was…
