Lyrics Dance or Die - Janelle Monáe

Dance or Die

Some will pull the gun because they want to be stars
Snatching up your life into the blink of an eye
And if you see your cloning on a street walking by
Keep a running for your life cause only one will survive
War is in the street and it’s an eye for an eye
Run on for your life or you can dance you can die
She’s praying in the sand like she’s the last samurai
It’s a stick up stick up and a pick up pick up
Telling lies and telling lies will put your face on fire
Run and tell your friends to never dream, never win
Ghettos keep a crying out to streets full of zombies
Kids are killing kids and then the kids join the army
Rising and a waking, yes sir here comes the sun
March into the war and with the kick of the drum
The wiser simians have got the bombs and the guns
So you might as well keep dancing if you’re not gonna run
A long long way to find the one
We’ll keep on dancing till she comes
These dreams are forever
Oh these dreams are forever
And if you wanna wake the sun
Just keep on marching to the drums
These dreams are forever
Oh these dreams are forever
Now I’m not saying it’s better to bailar (Spanish for dance)
You can pull the trigger or you can build you an ark
My words are rather kind you keep them held in contempt
Looking for a nine and then a droid you can tempt
Zombie, zombie, zombie, where do dreams come from?
A little bird is chirping and she’s singing a song
She’s shaking em and waking em and giving em mas
As the clock tick tocks and the bodies drop
I’m gonna lay myself so far way down right in your chops
Modern day example of the wolf vs flock
Freedom necessary and it’s by any means
Frozen they were stolen all the kings and queens
Sudanese and Congolese who put the roll in the rock
From here to Sudan, Metropolis to Iraq
It’s a minute to the dawn and yet the sun ain’t back
It’s still a war in all the stress and yes freaks will dance or die
A long long way to find the one
We’ll keep on dancing till she comes
These dreams are forever
Oh these dreams are forever
And if you wanna wake the sun
Just keep on marching to the drums
These dreams are forever
Oh these dreams are forever
Angel, blossom, gunshot, dodging, dream, bright, beat, light, breathe, live,
help, give, focus, trance, wake up, dance!
I’m praying for the man sitting without much time
May he understand the clock will never rewind
Wisen him and sharpen him and give him a motto
hate no more, said he must hate no more
You see the daylight comes into the kingdom
But the kingdom’s full of ignorant men
Just keep rebelling away, you gotta dream it away
Because the weatherman on TV ain’t creating the weather
This man wants to see another jubilation
And that man wants us in emancipation
And then there is the man who wants a stronger nation
You see we really got to and i think that we ought to
Protect the mind from degradation
Sow in the seeds of education
They run from us, are we that dangerous?
There’s a war in all the streets and yes the freaks must dance or die!