Artist- James Brown
Song Title- Say it Loud: I'm Black and I'm Proud
Year Released- 1968
Other Popular James Brown Songs- The Payback, I Got You, Night Train, etc.
Lyrics-Uh! Your bad self!
Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud
Say it louder! I'm black and I'm proud
(Chorus Analysis) James Brown wants to the African-American people to be heard through out the nation
Look a-here!
Some people say we got a lot of malice, some say it's a lotta nerve
But I say we won't quit movin' until we get what we deserve
(Analysis) They were viewed as having the intent to be evil, but they are just trying to gain what they have been fighting for for a long time.
We've been buked and we've been scourned
We've been treated bad, talked about as sure as you're born
(Analysis) They have been ridiculed just for the color of their skin ever since they were born
But just as sure as it take two eyes to make a pair, huh!
Brother we can't quit until we get our share
(analysis) They won't stop fighting until they get what they deserve
Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud
Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud
One more time, say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud, huh!
I've worked on jobs with my feet and my hands
But all the work I did was for the other man
(analysis) All his life, he was controlled by other people and all the hard work he has done only benefited the whites.
And now we demands a chance to do things for ourselves
We tired of beatin' our head against the wall
An' workin' for someone else
(Analysis) They want to be able to live their lives the way they want without having to live by someone else's rules
Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud
Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud
Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud
Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud, oh!
Ooh-wee, you're killin' me
Alright, uh, you're out of sight!
Alright, so tough you're tough enough!
Ooh-wee uh! you're killin' me! oow!
Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud
Say it louder! I'm black and I'm proud
Now we demand a chance to do things for ourselves
We tired of beatin' our heads against the wall
And workin' for someone else look a-here
There's one thing more I got to say right here
Now, now we're people, we're like the birds and the bees
We rather die on our feet than keep livin' on our knees
(Analysis) He would rather die fighting for what's right than living with the fear of whites
Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud huh!
Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud huh!
Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud Lord-a, Lord-a, Lord-a
Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud, ooh!
Uh! alright now, good God
You know we can do the boogaloo
(Analysis) The boogaloo is not a sexual term, but instead is a dance also known as the shing-a-ling
The song relates to the time period because it is explaining how African-Americans still aren't being treated equally after all the promises that were made.
African-Americans at the time were being treated unequally, and still, nothing was really done about it.
The message of the song is to tell people that the black community is tired of not being able to live their lives the way they want to and be able to provide for themselves without being restricted in some way.