Johannesburg (Live 1983)
One, two, and you know what to do
Yeah
Said what's the word?
Tell me, brother, have you heard?
From Johannesburg?
Somebody tell me, what's the word?
Tell me, woman, have you heard?
About Johannesburg?
They tell me that our brothers go over there are defying the Man
And we may not get the news but they need to know we're all in their side
Yes I, I hate it when the blood start flowing
But I'm glad to see resistance growing
Somebody tell me what's the word?
Tell me, brother, have you heard?
About Johannesburg?
Somebody tell me what's the word?
Tell me, woman, have you heard?
From Johannesburg?
They tell me that our brothers go over there
Refuse to work in the mines, sometimes
They may not get the news, but they need to know we're on their side, all time
Yeah, now sometimes distance bring misunderstanding deep
But deep in my heart, I'm demanding
Somebody tell me what's the word?
Tell me, brother, have you heard?
About Johannesburg?
Somebody tell me what's the word?
Tell me, brother, have you heard?
From Johannesburg?
And I know that they're struggling over there
That ain't gonna free me
We're not
Yeah but we got our home
Gotta be stunt live
Say if we wanna be free
I just wanna be free, free, free, free
Keep me feeling like a
Just around the corner
It keep me feeling like a
It keep me, keep me, keep me
They tell me that our brothers go over there
Refuse to work in the mines, sometimes
They may not get the news, but they need to know we're on their side, all time
Yes I, I hate it when the blood start flowing
But I'm glad to see resistance growing
Somebody tell me what's the word? (Johannesburg)
So what's the word? (Johannesburg)
So what's the word? (Johannesburg)
So what's the word? (Johannesburg)
So what's the word? (Johannesburg)
So what's the word? (Johannesburg)
So what's the word? (Johannesburg)
Somebody tell me what's happening in Johannesburg?
New York is like Johannesburg
L.A is like Johannesburg
Freedom ain't nothing but a word, ain't nothing
What's the word? (Johannesburg)
What's the word? (Johannesburg)
What's the word? (Johannesburg)
Sometimes y'all gotta tell me
What's happening in Johannesburg?
Freedom is like Johannesburg
Freedom is like Johannesburg
Freedom ain't nothing but a word, ain't nothing but a word
Let me see your I.D
Let me see your I.D
Could be you instead of me
Johannesburg
Your freedom ain't nothing but a, nothing but a, nothing but a
Nothing but a, and nothing but a word
Feel like in Johannesburg
Some like Johannesburg
Thank you very much
Yeah
Said what's the word?
Tell me, brother, have you heard?
From Johannesburg?
Somebody tell me, what's the word?
Tell me, woman, have you heard?
About Johannesburg?
They tell me that our brothers go over there are defying the Man
And we may not get the news but they need to know we're all in their side
Yes I, I hate it when the blood start flowing
But I'm glad to see resistance growing
Somebody tell me what's the word?
Tell me, brother, have you heard?
About Johannesburg?
Somebody tell me what's the word?
Tell me, woman, have you heard?
From Johannesburg?
They tell me that our brothers go over there
Refuse to work in the mines, sometimes
They may not get the news, but they need to know we're on their side, all time
Yeah, now sometimes distance bring misunderstanding deep
But deep in my heart, I'm demanding
Somebody tell me what's the word?
Tell me, brother, have you heard?
About Johannesburg?
Somebody tell me what's the word?
Tell me, brother, have you heard?
From Johannesburg?
And I know that they're struggling over there
That ain't gonna free me
We're not
Yeah but we got our home
Gotta be stunt live
Say if we wanna be free
I just wanna be free, free, free, free
Keep me feeling like a
Just around the corner
It keep me feeling like a
It keep me, keep me, keep me
They tell me that our brothers go over there
Refuse to work in the mines, sometimes
They may not get the news, but they need to know we're on their side, all time
Yes I, I hate it when the blood start flowing
But I'm glad to see resistance growing
Somebody tell me what's the word? (Johannesburg)
So what's the word? (Johannesburg)
So what's the word? (Johannesburg)
So what's the word? (Johannesburg)
So what's the word? (Johannesburg)
So what's the word? (Johannesburg)
So what's the word? (Johannesburg)
Somebody tell me what's happening in Johannesburg?
New York is like Johannesburg
L.A is like Johannesburg
Freedom ain't nothing but a word, ain't nothing
What's the word? (Johannesburg)
What's the word? (Johannesburg)
What's the word? (Johannesburg)
Sometimes y'all gotta tell me
What's happening in Johannesburg?
Freedom is like Johannesburg
Freedom is like Johannesburg
Freedom ain't nothing but a word, ain't nothing but a word
Let me see your I.D
Let me see your I.D
Could be you instead of me
Johannesburg
Your freedom ain't nothing but a, nothing but a, nothing but a
Nothing but a, and nothing but a word
Feel like in Johannesburg
Some like Johannesburg
Thank you very much
Credits
Writer(s): Gil Scott Heron
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Link
Other Album Tracks
- Introduction (Live 1983)
- We Almost Lost Detroit (Live 1983)
- Intro to Angola Louisiana (Live 1983)
- Angola Louisiana (Live 1983)
- Intro to Three Miles Down (Live 1983)
- Three Miles Down (Live 1983)
- B Movie (Live 1983)
- Intro to a Legend In His Own Mind (Live 1983)
- A Legend In His Own Mind (Live 1983)
- Intro to Winter In America (Live 1983)
Altri album
- Legend In His Own Mind (feat. Amnesia Express) [Live, Bremen, 1983]
- Ghetto Ghosts (Live 1977)
- Plug In, Turn On, Cop Out (Live 1983)
- Live in The Bottle
- Spirits
- Aint Really A Life
- The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
- Small Talk at 125th and Lenox
- Nothing New
- When You Are Who You Are / Free Will (Alt Take 1)
© 2025 All rights reserved. Rockol.com S.r.l. Website image policy
Rockol
- Rockol only uses images and photos made available for promotional purposes (“for press use”) by record companies, artist managements and p.r. agencies.
- Said images are used to exert a right to report and a finality of the criticism, in a degraded mode compliant to copyright laws, and exclusively inclosed in our own informative content.
- Only non-exclusive images addressed to newspaper use and, in general, copyright-free are accepted.
- Live photos are published when licensed by photographers whose copyright is quoted.
- Rockol is available to pay the right holder a fair fee should a published image’s author be unknown at the time of publishing.
Feedback
Please immediately report the presence of images possibly not compliant with the above cases so as to quickly verify an improper use: where confirmed, we would immediately proceed to their removal.