Black Steel In the Hour of Chaos
Public Enemy
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I got a letter from the government The other day I opened and read it It said they were suckers They wanted me for their army or whatever Picture me given' a damn, I said never Here is a land that never gave a damn About a brother like me and myself Because they never did I wasn't wit' it, but just that very minute It occurred to me The suckers had authority Cold sweatin' as I dwell in my cell How long has it been? They got me sittin' in the state pen I gotta get out, but that thought was thought before I contemplated a plan on the cell floor I'm not a fugitive on the run But a brother like me begun, to be another one Public enemy servin' time, they drew the line y'all To criticize me some crime, never the less They could not understand that I'm a Black man And I could never be a veteran On the strength, the situation's unreal I got a raw deal, so I'm goin' for the steel They got me rottin' in the time that I'm servin' Tellin' you what happened the same time they're throwin' Four of us packed in a cell like slaves, oh well The same motherfucker got us livin' is his hell You have to realize, what its a form of slavery Organized under a swarm of devils Straight up, word 'em up on the level The reasons are several, most of them federal Here is my plan anyway and I say I got gusto, but only some I can trust, yo Some do a bid from one to ten And I never did, and plus I never been I'm on a tier where no tears should ever fall Cell block and locked, I never clock it y'all 'Cause time and time again time They got me servin' to those and to them I'm not a citizen But ever when I catch a see-O Sleepin' on the job, my plan is on go-ahead On the strength, I'ma tell you the deal I got nothin' to lose 'Cause I'm goin' for the steel You know I caught a C-O Fallin' asleep on death row I grabbed his gun, then he did what I said so And everyman's got served Along with the time they served Decency was deserved To understand my demands I gave a warnin', I wanted the governor, y'all And plus the warden to know That I was innocent, Because I'm militant Posing a threat, you bet it's fuckin' up the government My plan said I had to get out and break north Just like with Oliver's neck I had to get off, my boys had the feds in check They couldn't do nothin' We had a force to instigate a prison riot This is what it takes for peace So I just took the piece Black for Black inside time to cut the leash Freedom to get out, to the ghetto, no sell out 6 see-Os we got we ought to put their head out But I'll give 'em a chance, 'cause I'm civilized As for the rest of the world, they can't realize A cell is hell, I'm a rebel so I rebel Between bars, got me thinkin' like an animal Got a woman C-O to call me a copter She tried to get away, and I popped her Twice, right Now who want to get nice? I had six C-O's, now it's 5 to go And I'm serious, call me delirious But I'm still a captive I gotta rap this Time to break as time grows intense I got the steel in my right hand Now I'm lookin' for the fence I ventured into the courtyard Followed by fifty two brothers Bruised, battered, and scarred but hard Goin' out with a bang Ready to bang out But power from the sky And from the tower shots rang out A high number of dose, yes And some came close Figure I trigger my steel Stand and hold my post This is what I mean, an anti-n*gger machine If I come out alive and then they won't, come clean And then I threw up my steel bullets, flew up Blew up, who shot What, who, the bazooka was who And to my rescue, it was the S1Ws Secured my getaway, so I just got away The joint broke, from the black smoke Then they saw it was rougher that the average bluffer 'Cause the steel was black, the attitude exact Now the chase is on tellin' you to c'mon 53 brothers on the run, and we are gone
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Written by: WILLIAM DRAYTON, CARLTON RIDENHOUR, ERIC SADLER, HANK SHOCKLEE
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
12 facts about this song
Album Classification"Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" is a song from Public Enemy's second album, "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" which was published in 1988.
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Lyrics SourceThe lyrics for the song were written by Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, better known by his stage name, Chuck D.
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InspirationThe song was inspired by the issues of black identity, racism, and social justice. It narrates a fictitious story of a prison break.
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InstrumentationThe song is known for its use of heavy beats, a somber bassline, and stirring piano samples taken from Isaac Hayes' "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic".
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ArtistryChuck D has described the song as one of his favorites, due to its complexity and the fact it took him a whole year to compose.
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Video ConceptThe video features the group in a prison setting, underscores the subject matter, with the group members being shown in prison cells, courtrooms, and running through underground tunnels.
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Famous CoverRage Against the Machine covered "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" in 1996 on their album "Renegades."
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RecognitionIn 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song #395 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
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Cultural ImpactSeveral phrases from the song have become popular in hip-hop culture, particularly "I got a letter from the government the other day/I opened and read it/It said they were suckers."
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CollaborationFlavor Flav, the secondary rapper in Public Enemy performs the chorus of the song but otherwise has little contribution to it.
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Impact on Other ArtistsSeveral artists like Professor Griff and Ice Cube have mentioned the considerable influence of "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" in their creative processes and career.
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Sampling"Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" among the most sampled songs in the hip-hop genre.
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Citation
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