Funky President (People It's Bad)

James Brown

Funky town, nasty
Hey, listen to the man
I'm the Godfather
Payback
Cold blooded

People, people, we got to get over
Before we go under, [Incomprehensible]
People, people, we got to get over
Before we go under

Hey, country
Didn't say what you meant
You just changed
Brand new funky President

Stock market goin' up, jobs are goin' down
And ain't no funking jobs to be found
Taxes keep goin' up, I changed from a glass
Now I drink from a paper cup, gettin' bad

People, people, we got to get over
Before we go under

Listen to me, let's get together and raise
Let's get together, get some land
Raise our food like the man
Save our money like the Mob
Put up [Incomprehensible] on the job

[Incomprehensible]
Tell 'em, Godfather
Hello

Turn on your funk motor
Get down and praise the Lord
Get sexy, sexy
Get funky and dance

Love me, baby, love me nice
Don't make it once
But can you make it twice?
I like it

People, people, we got to get over
Before we go under
People, people, well, well, well
Before we go under

Turn on your funk motor
I know it's tough
Turn on your funk motor
Until you get enough, yeah

Hey, give yourself a
Chance to come through
Tell yourself, I can
Do what you can do

Hey, listen to the man
I'm Godfather
Payback
Cold blooded

People, people
People, people
Hey, people, people
Don't you see what's goin' on?

People, people, we got to get together
Get on the your foot, change it, yeah
Got to get together and get some land
Raise our food just like the man
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey

I got to say it again
We got to get together, buy some land
Raise our food just like the man
Save our money, do like the Mob
Put up your [Incomprehensible] on the job

We gotta get over
Before we go under
Time's gettin' short, Lord

Country, do you know
Just what I meant?
We just changed
We got a brand new funky President

I need to be the Mayor
So I can change the things around here
I need to be the Governor
I need to be the Governor
I need to be the Governor


Lyrics submitted by playgroundlove

Funky President Lyrics as written by James Brown

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Funky President (People It's Bad) song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

1 Comment

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    dis hear is a message to all the black folks gotta get over before we go under man we need james brown as our president nowadays i bet he could help out the country

    zippo574on February 25, 2011   Link

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

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.