Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

Acknowledge Your Own History Lyrics by Jungle Brothers

Done by the Forces of Nature

1989

[Intro]
You don't know
Who you are
Look back into your past, brother
Look back into your past, sister
You don't know (Adventures in negro history)
Who you are
Look back into your past, sister
Look back into your past, brother
[Verse 1: Afrika]
My forefather was a king
He wore fat gold chains and fat ruby rings
Nobody believes this to be true
Maybe it's because my eyes ain't blue
You ain't gonna find it in your history book
Come here, young blood, and take a look
And dig down deep inside this hard cover
Don't you know that you was bought, brother?
All you read about is slavery
Never 'bout the Black man's bravery
You look at the pictures and all they show is
African people with bones in they noses
That ain't true, that's a lie
You didn't get that from my lemon pie
[Verse 2: Mike G]
Yeah, I cut class, I got a D
'Cause History meant nothing to me
Except a definite nap
That's why I often sat in the back
I'd talk to girls or write a rhyme
'Cause I didn't know all times are Black man's times
When I was young, my mama told me stories
Of Black peoples' fight to bring us glory
I used to think these were stories to put me to sleep
But now I know mama's talk wasn't cheap
I know Africa's for Africans
And history's the blood of every woman and man
[Interlude]
Now I begin another search
The incredibly involved
The incredibly difficult and incredibly frustrating search—
The incredibly involved
The incredibly difficult and incredibly frustrating search
Trying to pull together the history of a people
[Verse 3: Afrika & Mike G]
Page one, page two, page three
And still no signs of me
Yeah, so I looked into the table of the contents (Uh)
They wrote a little thing about us in the projects (What?)
The only history we make is if we kill somebody
Rape somebody, but other than that, we're nobody
Speaking like a brother living in the jungle
I know I was here first, but I remain humble
Now it's time to rekindle the fire
A tribe of young brothers with the eye of the tiger
Acknowledge your own, we have a home
Put on this earth to live and roam
Christopher chose to explore
Discovered America! Yeah, sure
He thought the planet was square
Traveled many places, but we already had been there
We left tracks, backtracked back
First civilization, you know where that was found at
Looking for the true Black days of glory
But you're reading history, that's his story
[Chorus: Vinia Mojica]
The red's for the blood and the black's for the man
The green is the color that stands for the land
The red's for the blood and the black's for the man
The green is the color that stands for the land
The red's for the blood and the black's for the man (The suffering, the original people)
The green is the color that stands for the land (All the riches of the earth)
The red's for the blood and the black's for the man (The suffering, the original people)
The green is the color that stands for the land (All the riches of the earth)
[Outro]
Africa
Talkin' 'bout mother Africa
Talkin' 'bout father Africa
Africa is the mother of civilization on the planet Earth
Africa, where science, cosmetic, knowledge, wisdom and understanding all comes from
In Africa (Africa)
Africa (Africa)
My mother say Africa (He say Africa)
Africa (Africa)
Jungle Brothers say Africa (We say Africa)
Africa (Africa)
All the people say Africa (Africa)
Africa, hahahaha (Africa)
Credits
Jungle Brothers

Jungle Brothers

About “Acknowledge Your Own History” by Jungle Brothers

Read the complete lyrics to "Acknowledge Your Own History" by Jungle Brothers from the album "Done by the Forces of Nature" in 1989. 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 Conscious Hip-Hop, East Coast Rap, Rap.

"Acknowledge Your Own History" is performed by Jungle Brothers. from the album "Done by the Forces of Nature" in 1989 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 "Acknowledge Your Own History", explore more songs by Jungle Brothers 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.

View all songs and biography for Jungle Brothers · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Acknowledge Your Own History" is credited to Jungle Brothers. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Acknowledge Your Own History" appears on "Done by the Forces of Nature" in 1989.

Visit the Jungle Brothers artist page at /artist/jungle-brothers for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.