Lyrics Understand What Black Is - The Last Poets

Understand what Black is
The source from which all things come
The security blanket for the stars
Understand what Black is
It is not a color
It is the bases of all colors
It is not a complexion
It is a reflection
Of all complexions called human
And out of this Blackness
Passion flows like a river
Feelings tell the truth
Song and dance
And making you laugh
Are family members
Understand what Black is
The breath you breathe
The sweat on your brow
The cheers and the tears
Balancing the world on your head
Faith is the glue
That holds us all together
This is your Blackness
Not some horror story
Of lost souls drifting
Into the land of perversion
Blackness is love
Is a light shinning on a path
Leading to the Sun
Or caressed in the bosom of the moon
Understand what Black is
Power you must yield to
A force so strong
We try to sleep it away
A jolt to your circuits
That say you must be electric
And plugged in to the sockets of the world
Black is humanity
That beautiful chord
On a twelve string guitar
That makes you smile
That offers comfort
In turbulent times
Provides food
When there's nothing to eat
A shelter when there's no where to live
Black is humanity
Making hope stand tall and not wilt
Because Black knows
Did it before
Tested by fire
Washed in the waters of life
Black is hot
Black is cool
Black is wise
And could never be a fool
Understand what Black is
Black is a hero not a villain
Black is the essence
Sealed with a kiss
Black is the stone
We build our dreams on
A shadow at evening's mist
Bigger than reality
Blending into the night
To let the Sun chill
And watch the stars dance
In rhythm to the music in our souls