Motor City Is Burning

[Intro]
Brothers and sisters, I wanna tell you something
I hear a lot of talk by a lot of honkeys, shit that love money
Tell me they're high society
But I'll let you know something
If you ask me, this is the high society!
This is the high society!
Ooh

[Chorus]
Ya know the Motor City burning, babe
There ain't a thing in the world they can do
Ya know the Motor City's burning, people
But ain't a thing that white society can do

[Verse 1]
My home town burning down to the ground
A-worser than Vietnam, let me tell you how it started here
It started on 12th and Clairmount that morning
It made the, the beat cops all jump and shout
I said, it started on 12th and Clairmount that morning
It made the, the pigs in the street a-freak out
The fire wagons kept comin', baby
A-but the Black Panther snipers wouldn't let them put it out, wouldn't let them put it out, wouldn't let them put it out, ow

[Guitar Solo]
Get it on

[Verse 2]
Well, there's fire bombs bursting all around me, people
You know there were soldiers standing everywhere
I said there was fire bombs bursting all around me, baby
Ya know there was National Guard everywhere
I can hear my people screaming
A-sirens fill the air, fill the air, fill the air, fill the air, baby, yeah

[Guitar Solo]

[Verse 3]
Your mama and papa don't know what the trouble is
You see, they don't know what it's all about
I said, your mama and papa don't know what the trouble is, baby
They just can't see what it's all about
Get the news, read the newspapers, baby
You just get out there in the street and check it out, ah, yeah

[Guitar Solo]

[Chorus]
I said the Motor City's burning, people
I ain't hanging 'round to fight it out
I said-a the Motor City's burning, people
You best not hang around to fight it out

[Verse 4]
Well, I'm taking my wife and my people
And they're on TV, yeah, yeah
Yeah well, just before I go, baby, I wanna go down, there's fireman's on the street, people all around now
I guess it's true, I'd just like to strike a match for freedom myself, yeah
I may be a white boy, but I can be bad, too, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yes, it's true now, yes, it's true now, I said

[Guitar Solo]
Yeah
Burn, yeah-yeah
Now let it, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Now baby, now baby, yeah
Yeah, yeah

[Outro]
Yes, let it all burn! Let it all burn! (Let it all burn!)
Let it all burn!