Dear America (Don't Shoot) – English Lyrics

• By: Joyner Lucas

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

My brothers and sisters,

we have to put a stop to this.

And it will never be stopped

until we stop it ourselves.

They attack the victim,

And then the criminal who attacked the victim

accuses the victim of attacking him.

This is American justice.

This is American democracy.

And those of you who are familiar with it,

know that in America democracy is hypocrisy.

Now if I'm wrong, put me in jail.

By the system I was raised,

same system that enslaved us and took us out the world.

Same system I was trained to put my hand across my heart and pledge allegiance to the bird.

Same system that made me sing the national anthem while the fuckin' flag hang.

Same system that claimed innocent lives but Barack ain't made shit change, nigga fuck this shit I won't budge.

Shit, I won't budge.

They said Rosa Parks sittin' on the wrong bus,

and now a Malcolm X is gone, I guess it's all on us.

Fuck the cops, they gon' kill us and they charge us.

They gon' charge us.

Put that fuckin' badge out and say it's all love,

then I got six hundred shots to my heart, lungs, face, neck, caught blood, fuck it if y'all thugs.

I guess we all thugs,

ever since the Watts riot, motherfuckers wanna try us.

Out-shouted people talkin', nigga, do somethin'.

Nigga, do somethin'.

So much love, I had to get the fuckin' goosebumps,

we ride out of Ferguson and murderin' the youth young.

This whole system gon' make me lose fo'.

This is war, we won't back down.

Fuck this country, we ain't treated fair, fuck it.

I should burn the fuckin' flag down.

Yeah, I should burn the fuckin' flag down.

Bunch of victims last child, they have no clue.

But if I protest then they gon' put me in a stretcher, gun me down with my hands up screamin', "Don't shoot".

Motherfucker, don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Motherfucker, don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Please don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Please don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

I got my hands up screamin' don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Please don't shoot.

I should burn the fuckin' flag down.

Muthafucka don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Burn the fuckin' flag down.

Down.

Down.

By the system I was raised,

same system that just killed my brother.

Same system that just slayed Sean Bell, Trayvon,

never caught the one who did it.

The same system that gon' lie just to cover up the crime,

quick to send us to the grave.

The same system that claimed innocent lives but Barack ain't made shit change, nigga fuck this shit, I won't budge.

Shit, I won't budge.

They said Emmett Till whistled at the wrong slide,

and now a Martin Luther King is gone, I guess it's all on us.

Fuck the cops, they gon' kill us and they charge us.

They gon' charge us.

Put that fuckin' badge out and leave a nigga passed out, clap-clap, twenty shots to my heart, lungs, face, neck, call blood.

All they do is cross us.

Livin' in the projects and we all thugs,

let his sergeant through my pockets, won't treat me like a hostage.

If they catch me lookin' wrong, I'm a rebel up.

If I got my hoodie on, I'm a criminal.

If I got my hands up, that mean I probably got a weapon,

if they kill me then they guess that it was an exception, ain't that bullshit?

This is war, we won't back down.

They tell the government to kiss my ass, fuck it.

I should burn the fuckin' flag down.

Yeah, I should burn the fuckin' flag down.

We were forced to surrender, they have no clue.

But if I protest then they gon' put me in a stretcher, gun me down with my hands up screamin', "Don't shoot".

Motherfucker, don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Motherfucker, don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Please don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Please don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

I got my hands up screamin' don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Please don't shoot.

I should burn the fuckin' flag down.

Muthafucka don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Burn the fuckin' flag down.

Down.

Down.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
shoot /ʃuːt/ A1	verb - to fire a gun or weapon
protest /ˈprəʊ.test/ B1	verb - to express strong objection noun - a statement or action showing disagreement
system /ˈsɪs.təm/ A2	noun - a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism
justice /ˈdʒʌs.tɪs/ B1	noun - fairness in the way people are treated
democracy /dɪˈmɒk.rə.si/ B2	noun - a system of government by the whole population
hypocrisy /hɪˈpɒk.rə.si/ C1	noun - the practice of claiming to have moral standards one does not uphold
enslave /ɪnˈsleɪv/ B2	verb - to make someone a slave
allegianc /əˈliː.dʒəns/ C1	noun - loyalty or commitment to a person, country, or group
anthem /ˈæn.θəm/ B2	noun - a rousing or inspirational song
innocent /ˈɪn.ə.sənt/ A2	adjective - not guilty of a crime or offense
budge /bʌdʒ/ B1	verb - to move slightly
riot /ˈraɪ.ət/ B1	noun - a violent disturbance by a crowd
murder /ˈmɜː.dər/ A2	verb - to kill someone unlawfully noun - the crime of killing someone unlawfully
grave /ɡreɪv/ A2	noun - a place where a dead body is buried
surrender /səˈrɛn.dər/ B1	verb - to stop fighting and admit defeat
stretcher /ˈstrɛtʃ.ər/ B1	noun - a device used to carry injured people
thugs /θʌɡz/ B1	noun - violent or brutal persons
flag /flæɡ/ A1	noun - a piece of cloth with a special design
sergeant /ˈsɑː.dʒənt/ B1	noun - a rank in the military or police
hostage /ˈhɒs.tɪdʒ/ B1	noun - a person held prisoner by someone