Lyric discussion by flagstaffphil 

Cover art for Respect Yourself lyrics by Staple Singers, The

It's obvious to me he's saying "go out of your way to tread on other people, especially with your own ideas, beliefs, and judgements, and definitely explain why the God you personally believe in, is by far the best and most powerful.....and everybody else is wrong".

He also mentions "Beat yourself up as often as possible. Regret, remorse and especially guilt are helpful, try not to be inspired. Look out for yourself. Stab people in the back to climb up the ladder on top of them. Be self-serving in all affairs and in all that you do....Try not to forgive very often, and if you know what grace is...ditch it for envy.

That's what I get out of the song. How bout you?

Song Meaning

@flagstaffphil \r\nI think you\'ve got this completely wrong.\r\nMore like do not let people put you down. There\'s nothing in this that I think says to disrespect others just to have respect for yourself. Its asking people to respect one another.