The people have the right to control their lives
And to control their destinies

You can beat me or jail me
Or even kill me
But I'm not going to be
What you want me to be

Freedom
(Gotta stay free, gotta stay free)
Freedom
(Gotta stay free)

You don't see them, where we swing from branch to branch
They want our lives to move in line
Especially not that their kids and ours dance together
Or worse, fall in love and hang out without a sigh

They take our big bass for war drums
So they do it perched on the mic, we observe and it annoys them
All they expect is to muzzle us
And make us fall in line, if possible with a big shovel

You know I live on little things, their little saintly faces
Want me, the little monkey, to become a little dog
At their will, do tricks, give the paw
And shut up without a word and fetch their balls

What? Is it our writings that bother? Is it a question of genes?
An indigenous culture they see as something indigestible
No sorry, there's no gun under my vest
Just a heart that beats and doesn't want to be deprived of oxygen

At the wheel of 4x4s with big bass in the trunk
We are those four-legged beasts that change the trends
If we wanted, we could even sway the vote
From this jungle, we would go as far as to crack the foundation

Your son loves our monkey sounds, Freedom
Your daughter loves our monkey sounds, Freedom
Their friends love our monkey sounds, Freedom
So eat up some big monkey sound, Freedom
Yeah, I'm the monkey, Hip Hop is my vine
Yeah, I'm the monkey, Hip Hop is my vine
Yeah, I'm the monkey, Hip Hop is my vine
Yeah, I'm the monkey, Hip Hop is my vine

(Gotta stay free)
(I've gotta stay free)

Like a kite, we want to take to the skies
Down here, too often we are ordered to shut up
Yeah, but we don't know how to do that, it makes them angry
So their media attacks our sisters and brothers

Back then we were those teens, in the subway, jumping the turnstiles
We didn't kill anyone, no, we didn't mess everything up
It's just that we were young, wild, and free
Our cries echoed in the empty neighborhood

Let me tell you that our lives are not coconut water, buddy
Many would like to tie us to the post, buddy
In the face of their stupidity, we brandish the pen, oh oh!
It seems it won't stop anytime soon

Buddy, we change the established order, unarmed, words, the frank barrage
No flashy stuff, just a pair of white Nikes
Who's going to pay for the broken pots?
Bokassa's diamonds, they are already placed

They say there are too many Zulus on the airwaves
Too many guys dropping rhymes, like they drop their bombs in the four corners of the world
Every second a kid falls and their account grows
Yes, everything has a price, freedom, democracy

Your son loves our monkey sounds, Freedom
Your daughter loves our monkey sounds, Freedom
Their friends love our monkey sounds, Freedom
So eat up some big monkey sound, Freedom
Yeah, I'm the monkey, Hip Hop is my vine
Yeah, I'm the monkey, Hip Hop is my vine
Yeah, I'm the monkey, Hip Hop is my vine
Yeah, I'm the monkey, Hip Hop is my vine

(Gotta stay free)
(I've gotta stay free)

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