This song, and others on The Payback, were originally written and recorded as Original Soundtrack (OST) material for Hell Up in Harlem (1974), the sequel to Black Caesar (1973), a blacksploitation crime drama. Unfortunately, the music was turned down by related movie producers, who gave the job to E...
You know
We’re dealing with
A very critical and crucial time
The most
Crucial and critical time that I've ever witnessed
Being as young as I am
You know
We all don't want to say nothing else, so we say “as young as we are.”
Now I want to talk about
The pronunciation
And the realization
Now the educators
They call it
E.S.P.,
Positive thinking, right?
Some of the people across the other side of the pond call it
Vibe
Vibrations
Astrology and all those different things you understand
But I call it “what it is, is what it is”
What it is, is what it is
Look here
Now you see
A brother
You see, in the ghetto you find a whole lot of crime
I can understand
Hey
I know what it means
Being nine years old before I got my first pair of underwear out of a store
You know
Putting on a half
A half pressed suit
From the pawn shop
With tennis shoes
Trying to be hip
See I know where its coming from
Like the fellow sang, “having catfish head stew”
Its just like the catfish went in there with his head and came out very quick and didn't leave nothing else!
Now, there's one thing that the educators and the politicians and the establishment
Got to remember
Now, brothers need jobs
If you don't work
You can't eat
If you don't work
You can't eat
Get hip to yourself, good god, my brother, and get it from the street
If you don't work
You can't eat
Sis
If you don't work, lord
You can't eat
So you’ve got to have Mind Power to deal with starvation
And that's what we’re dealing with
You see we can't
Go back to the biblical stories
“2 loaves of bread”
Er, “2 little fishes, 5 loaves of bread.”
“2 little fishes”, yeah
“5 loaves of bread.”
Now look here
There's too many brothers going by that
Now I want you brothers to dig where we coming from
Set your mind
Right here
Dig the JBE experience
I dug this from a young man out of New York
He said the GBE
The GBE
Now we want to take it to the JBE
The JB Experience
Mind Power
Mind Power
Mind
Mind Power
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
It is
What it is
It is what it is
It is what it is
That's what it is
It is
What it is
That's what it is
You know
Dealing with Harlem
South Side of Chicago
The Bay area
Watts
Five Points, Buttermilk Bottom in Atlanta
Ninth Street in Augusta
West Broad in Savannah
U Street in Washington
Going on over to Baltimore
South Street in Philly
Boston
I know
Somebody needs to help us
Give us
Just give us a chance
Somebody
Brothers across the nation
You got to get yourself together
Unified
We need information
Brothers across the nation
Pass on that right-on
Information
Brothers across the nation
Alright
Hah, alright
Huh, ain't it funky now
That's love power, funky robot
That's mind power
The JB, JB Experience
The JBE
Now back
And meanwhile, back to the ranch
Let's talk about that thing we
We're dealing with, each and every day
Now horns
Now horns
Let's tell everybody
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
(What it is, is what it is)
You can't change it
(What it is, is what it is)
Don't try to change it
(What it is, is what it is)
Deal with it
(What it is, is what it is)
Don't fool yourself
(What it is, is what it is)
Look in the mirror
(What it is, is what it is)
You'll find
(What it is, is what it is)
You can't fool yourself
(What it is, is what it is)
You gotta deal with it
(What it is, is what it is)
What it is
(What it is, is what it is)
What it is
(What it is, is what it is)
Tell me
(What it is, is what it is)
Deal with it
(What it is, is what it is)
What
(What it is, is what it is)
Wait a minute
Now look here
I believe we should go back to the top
I wanna go back to the beginning
So I can hear ol' Morgan play them funky sticks over there
Now we've been over a little bit, let me tell 'em
What it is, is what it is
(What it is, is what it is)
What it is, is what it is
(What it is, is what it is)
Gimme some horns
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
Come on, now
What it is
Gimme a taste, Jimmy, gimme a taste
Hit me
I wanna go way back there, to the top
Way back there, right now
Fred
Fred
Still dealing with mind power
And I mean we're really dealing it
Can you deal a little bit right here
Deal, deal
Deal
Deal
Deal
Deal
Deal
Deal
Deal
What it is, is what it is
What it is, is what it is
(What it is, is what it is)
(What it is, is what it is)
(What it is, is what it is)
(What it is, is what it is)
(What it is, is what it is)
(What it is, is what it is...)
Mind Power was written by James Brown.
Mind Power was produced by James Brown.
James Brown released Mind Power on Sat Dec 01 1973.
The lyrics are the same because one of the songs is a cover of the other one.