Thank God for Slavery
how boring would this country be
if it hadn't been for Slavery
Duke Ellington
Ella Fitzgerald
Thelonious Monk
Tupac Shakur
All brought here against their ancestors will
The Irish had to Beg their way in
but not black people
The dark skinned world had a destiny
set in the rivers of time
They would be brought here
in chains
by the millions
because it was the only way
to make this nation great
So I say Thank God for slavery
if that's what had to be done
if that was the only way
for us to have a Malcolm X
a John Brown
a Richard Pryor
if slavery was the only way
to have rock and roll
to have long winded speeches
written by politicians
who were the last to get in line
No, I say Thank God for slavery
what separates us from Europe?
the White people
how did we become "white"?
when Germans stayed "German"
how dull
how peaceful
how much more sterile could we be
without the Boil
the Sickness
the Strife
conviction
Revolution!
None of this would have been Possible
nothing would have ever happened
no songs
no turbulence
no epic battles having been won
no unyielding current of ideas
about Liberty
and Justice
about what's best for All
No amount of ancient heritage
could match our growing pains
the get rich or die trying mantra
the "only way we know how"
that got us through "the war"
from the retards in the woods
to the aristocrats standing out on their balconies
slavery has touched us all
and made us better for it
