Rastafari Speaks - This Fire Must Burn

By Ras Tyehimba
April 21, 2003

The wind must blow
The river must flow
The pages of history must turn
The fire must burn
This fire must rage until it reaches of age
Where it mellows into a smoldering coal
Providing sparks through the wisdom of the old
Glowing so softly that fools think that it is out
But the spear of the nation is alive and burning
In the very few or us that are flying

Don't you see that the tide is turning
Do you see consciousness slowly growing?
Do you see truth spreading? Slowly but surely
Where are you heading?
Down the road of carnal gratification?
Can money buy salvation?
Can the car I'm driving, the life I'm living
make me forget my divine self; that I'm black?
Must I just stay silent in the back
And do nothing while you attack... me?

My Afrikaness is not a badge of servility
But rather a fiery banner for uncompromising revolutionary activity
The spear of the nation is burning
The tide is turning

Have you forgotten the mother that raised you
have you forgotten the mother that raised you, while others slaved you
have you forgotten the mother that praised you when others cursed you
that appreciated you while others hated you
that nursed you while others wanted to hearse you
our loss of history has caused us to lose sight of our divine destiny
but hope is alive, lying among our conscious elders who like a smoldering coal
will provide the knowledge to unfetter our soul
and spark the fire that will take us higher
who is the ember who will make us remember
that we used to traverse the universe

Let us delve into the sea of our consciousness
Out of this sacred union of male and female energy cometh life
Let us arm ourselves with this key of life
The exploding drum dissolves in vibrating forces of energy
Yellow meets blue, making green
Out of Nature come cometh red, blood, red and passionate
A red drop of truth, meeting the beating heart of ourselves
Flowing like the tears that have gathered for years.
Knowing that i will never die, I fly
And why must I fly?
Because... The wind must blow
The river must flow
The pages of history must turn
This fire must burn....................