Hold On to Your Culture

[Intro]
Now all the parents: Please, give them children some rice and peas. These things we've been eating from the beginning of time. Watcha want to do, be the end of the line?

Some people nah make nuh rice and peas no more
Some people nah make nuh rice and peas no more
It's been a couple of years or more
Since a piece a' yam come through that door
Some people nah make nuh rice and peas no more

[Verse 1]
I sing:
Some a' di youts nah get nuh rice and peas
Yam and bananas and tings like these
Dem a-get di beef burger with the ketchup and cheese
Well, I'm begging all the parents: Please

[Chorus]
Let them hold on to their culture
Any a' dem lose it dem inna big danger
Say hold on to your culture
Don't become nuh cultural stranger

[Verse 2]
Some people a-go 'round
And they ain't got nuh culture
Coming like a dead meat
A-wait for di vulture
Learn from di past
It can help inna yuh future
[?] out yuh ancestor

Take fuh instance di food that we nyam
Like the green bananas and yam
Them full a' vitamins
And they full of iron
And they make yuh body fit
And make yuh 'trong

Take fuh instance di way dat we dance
How we know [?] di riddim by chance
How supp'm dat we born with
Inna wi genes
So we nuh dance like Mr. Bean
Now ya mean

[Chorus]
Hold on to your culture
Any a' you lose it you inna big danger
Say hold on to your culture
Don't become nuh cultural stranger

[Verse 3]
Dem haffi know who dey are
And whe' dey came from
It might a-answer the question
Where dey belong

Inna school dem get
Culture education
It's only Queen Victoria
And Napoleon

Marcus Garvey
Dey never mention
Dey never tell yuh every Black man
Was African

Dey never ever tell yuh
'Bout di plantation
To make mi history a mystery
Was the plan
Africans:

[Chorus]
Hold on to your culture
Any a' you lose it you inna big danger
Say hold on to your culture
Don't become nuh cultural stranger

[Verse 4]
All mi ancestors
Were so brave
I muss apologize
For the way we a-behave
Mentally we still a-gwaan like slave
Some a' wi a-gwaan like we fi live in a cave
Material things [?] a we just a-crave

Bruddah killin' bruddah
Wit' di gun and di blade
[?] come a dance
People a-get 'fraid

Marcus Garvey must be turnin' in his grave
[?] must be turnin' in her grave
The great Shaka Zulu must be turnin' in his grave and
Malcolm X must be turnin' in his grave
Over di way we a-behave

[Chorus]
Mi seh hold on to your culture
Any a' you lose it you inna big danger
Say hold on to your culture
Don't become nuh cultural stranger

Seh hold on to your culture
Any a' you lose it you inna big danger
Say hold on to your culture
Don't become nuh cultural stranger

[Outro]
(Hold on to your culture)
(Hold on to your culture)
(Hold on to your culture)
(Hold on to your culture)
(Hold on to your culture)
(Hold on to your culture)