No Knock
Gil Scott-Herron
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Um, we want to do a poem for one of our unfavorite people, um
Who's now the head of the, uh, Nixon campaign
He was formerly the Attorney General named John Mitchell
Um, Nixon's campaign seems to be out, you know
Getting off on a rather hip foot after his trip to China in the name of peace
Uh, while they were killing people right across the street, so to speak
In, uh, North and South Vietnam
But, um, no-knock, the law in particular, was allegedly
Legislated for black people rather than, you know, for their destruction
And it means, simply, that authorities and members of the police force
No longer have to knock on your door before entering
They can now knock your door down
It's no-knock
You explained it to me, I must admit
But just for the record, you were talking shit
Long rapped about no-knock being legislated
For the people you've always hated
In this hellhole that you, we, call home
No-knock, the man will say
To keep that man from beating his wife
No-knock, the man will say
To protect people from themselves
No-knocking, head-rocking
Enter, shocking, shooting, cussing
Killing, crying, lying, and
Being white, no-knock
No-knocked on my brother Fred Hampton
Bullet holes all over the place
No-knocked on my brother Michael Harris
And jammed a shotgun against his skull
For my protection? Who's gonna protect me from you?
The likes of you? The nerve of you?
To talk that shit face-to-face
Your tomato face deadpan, your deadpan
Deadening another freedom plan
No-knocking, head-rocking
Enter, shocking, shooting, cussing
Killing, crying, lying
And being white, no-knock
But if you're wise, no-knocker
You'll tell your no-knocking lackeys, ha
No-knock on my brothers' heads
No-knock on my sisters' heads
No-knock on my brothers' heads
No-knock on my sisters' heads
And double-lock your door
Because, soon, someone may be no-knocking, ha, ha!
For you
No-knock, to be slipped into John Mitchell's suggestion box