The Last Poets
Surprises
Surprises
Surprises

Night falls, and the sun rises
And I dig niggers, niggers, niggers in all shades and sizes
And the sun, the sun, it plays on my eyes
And I hear the hungry cries
Of black children
Their stomachs turned inside out
Their minds full of fear and doubt
Being told lies
Being watched by spies
With loophole proof alibis
While another n***a, n***a, n***a in Vietnam dies
But the sun still rises, and night still falls
And junkies still OD in ghetto halls
And Miles, he still blows
And the oppression still grows
And where it stops, nobody knows
And black people cry out in vain
Against injustice and pain
To one whose mind is insane
And it doesn't need to rain
For their tears have poured for years
And Uncle Tom, Tom, Tom
He watches over us, and under us, and around us, and through us
Night in and day out
And we are loved for being ignorant
And hated if we are militant
But promises can do nothing for me
It's time to set ourselves free
But time marches on
And the racists grow strong
Stronger than Ajax
And niggers want to be free
But they still watch TV
Even though they can't see
And our Chinese brothers don't cop no plea
For they are hip to unity
Isn't that the way we want to be?
But the man watches amused
Because black people are confused
Conquered and divided
Tricked and undecided
And the good guys are dead
With slugs through their head
But the night still falls, and the sun still rises
And the man, the man, the man is still full of trickery
Surprise, niggers!