Lyrics The People's Court - Mutabaruka

The People's Court

Order, now my court is in session
will u please stand
first allow me to indroduce myself
my name is judge judge 1000 years
some people call me
'betta mus com'
i am from afrika
i com to try all u politicians
for sellin out black people.
in my court, only me talk
cause i am vex,
dis is de people’s court
what do you have here today
well your honour
we have defendants
senator sanky singh and
senator change mimind
also here is mr.
religious belief
but i think we shall deal with
the senators today,
at a later date we will deal with
mr.
religious belief.
alright, alright
politician singh and
politician change mimind
u are brought here
for tricking black people,
by promising dem
good livin every five years
u have been sellin out black
people to foreigners.
your honour
hush up a not finish yet
wat u want to do,
promise me to?
i see de rich gettin richer
an de poor dyin
your honour,
fundamentally,
if i may say something
at dis point in time…
shut up.
this is the people’s court and
a not allowing any
politrikin here
if u disturb me again i will
give you 1000 years
for contempt of court.
u are also charged for
chargin de people too much taxes
because of your mismanagement
spendin money
then taxing the people for it.
u keep borrowing money
from the i.m.f.
and the world bank
in the people’s name
continuing de oppression of black people
by the same colonialist
why u can’t learn
no so called third world country
has been able to break loose
from these money hogs
you have black people
in a vicious cycle.
if it wasn’t for me,
black people in this country
would still be worshippin
the statue of liberty.
well tell me how come u
change your mind now…
shut up.
what you trying to do?
confuse the court.
i am giving you both 1000 years
on the first account.
from 1938 until now
you have been dividing black people
your promisin de people
right back into slavery
now de only thing u have
been truthful about is your thing
about 'out of many one'
your honour,
that was taken from my uncle sam
yes, cause only one people
a clean de street
one people a eat out a garbage heap
one people to cut sugar cane
one people ina sun an rain
one people a toil
an one people a collect de coil
speakin of uncle sam
i shall also charge u for given
rise to crack and cocaine
in dis country
by killin off the ganja plant
that use to help to
balance our foreign exchange deficit
i am givin you 1000 years
for the crimes of anthony
girlie girlie godfather don
an mr.
crack stone
but your honour
your should be hanged
but i shall be lenient
and give you both 1000 years.
i have been noticing that
in your airports
only out going passengers
are caught with drugs
but neva a tourist,
yet we don’t grow cocaine here
but it still getting more and more common.
Singh & Mimind:
but the tourist business is
vital to our national economy
vital, vital to who
wid u all exclusive hotels
tourists will soon think
negril is a next island by itself
u claim that the poor
can’t teck no more
but you not givin them anything
a see more benz than lada
and hear that a car that
cost $ 20, 000 in Miami
cost $ 800, 000 here.
wat you do wid all that
extra money at customs
u keep talkin bout tourist harrasment,
jamaicans are harrassed daily in foreign
everyday dem talkin bout
jamaican posse
your honour,
as you can plainly see,
when i was in power
things was goin to get right,
i had all de white people
wid money on my side
all the brown people
was starting to feel like
dem was livin in miami
but what about de black people?
well a was just gettin
around to them
when a loss de elections your honor
that is no excuse your honour
before him,
black people was gettin very self sufficient
brown people was startin to acquire houses in miami
that is because dem was runnin away your honour
white people started to seh i and i and irie
your honour,
if it wasn’t for him and his black ideology
we would reach much further…
your honour,
im neva have poor people in mind,
that is why wi havin so much trouble now
your honour,
is him change, not me
your honour,
im have a party of gangs,
im sey suh imself.
shut up.
i see no difference between both of you.
u both following the same thing
that has been and still is
keepin down black people.
when u not in power your honour,
it is easy to say dis and that.
but when you have power
is a different sanky
you have to sing.
I am givin you both another 1000 years.
nun of you have the solution
to black people problem
a suggest you read
the philosphy and opinions
of marcus garvey.
study em carefully,
then i might just grant onu pardon
and another thing,
before onnu begin onnu sentence,
both of u visit the arcade
and see how poor women
run business from nothin.
let the domestic helpers
show u how to use $ 130
to feed a family of six for one week.
now take them away.