This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Grab a hold of yourself, open your eyes
Get wise to the exercise
Being taught by the teacher that's most dominant
You need knowledge?
Well I'm dropping it
Listen to the rap allow it to trap
Your body and soul so that you can adapt
To the man on display as I take you away
So may I? Yes you may
Proud to be a black man
Coming exact and
Giving up to brothers five on the back hand
Pray for lease and peace upon each other
With my sisters and brothers
Yo word to the mother
I say the mother, as in the motherland
But on the other hand, another man
Tackled and shackled our ancestors
But we beat him with freedom, so let's bless the
Country that we all came from
Because the moral of it all is we shall overcome
The cream will keep rising
We be sizing
Up, the asiatic one is enterprising
Building and building to carry on
All the way from Malcolm x to Farrakhan
Martin Luther was a tutor, many were pupils
Those who fell victim were those without scruples
However, to sever, we could never
So hold up the peace sign and stand together
Take heed to the words that I manifest
And when I'm through speaking, Marley Marl'll do the rest
People, people, we gotta get over, before we go under
Let's get together
Yo big daddy, what you gonna say now?
Take a stand the fight for power
'Cause we've been here before the mayflower
Living superior abiding by nature
The history of the Asiatic one paid the
Price to be paid in slavery
Like the name of Antonio was gave to me
But knowledge of self broke every shackle and chain
Now I declare myself as the Big Daddy Kane
The teacher, teaching a lesson to be heard
That's word, to the mother my brother
So discover the truth of one another
'Cause here's the real deal upon our skin color
Lay down white, yellow, red or pink
But the color of black is most dominant
The rising and sizing can never cease
What you gon' say now? Peace!
Get wise to the exercise
Being taught by the teacher that's most dominant
You need knowledge?
Well I'm dropping it
Listen to the rap allow it to trap
Your body and soul so that you can adapt
To the man on display as I take you away
So may I? Yes you may
Proud to be a black man
Coming exact and
Giving up to brothers five on the back hand
Pray for lease and peace upon each other
With my sisters and brothers
Yo word to the mother
I say the mother, as in the motherland
But on the other hand, another man
Tackled and shackled our ancestors
But we beat him with freedom, so let's bless the
Country that we all came from
Because the moral of it all is we shall overcome
The cream will keep rising
We be sizing
Up, the asiatic one is enterprising
Building and building to carry on
All the way from Malcolm x to Farrakhan
Martin Luther was a tutor, many were pupils
Those who fell victim were those without scruples
However, to sever, we could never
So hold up the peace sign and stand together
Take heed to the words that I manifest
And when I'm through speaking, Marley Marl'll do the rest
People, people, we gotta get over, before we go under
Let's get together
Yo big daddy, what you gonna say now?
Take a stand the fight for power
'Cause we've been here before the mayflower
Living superior abiding by nature
The history of the Asiatic one paid the
Price to be paid in slavery
Like the name of Antonio was gave to me
But knowledge of self broke every shackle and chain
Now I declare myself as the Big Daddy Kane
The teacher, teaching a lesson to be heard
That's word, to the mother my brother
So discover the truth of one another
'Cause here's the real deal upon our skin color
Lay down white, yellow, red or pink
But the color of black is most dominant
The rising and sizing can never cease
What you gon' say now? Peace!
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
Word to the Mother (Land) Lyrics as written by Marlon Lu'ree Williams Antonio Hardy
Lyrics © CAK MUSIC PUBLISHING, INC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.