The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Gil Scott Heron

you will not be able to stay home, brother
you will not be able to plug in, turn on, and cop out
you will not be able to lose yourself on scag
 and skip out for beer during commercials because
the revolution will not be televised

the revolution will not be televised
the revolution will not be brought to you by xerox
 and ________without commercial interruptions
the revolution will not show you pictures of nixon blowing a bugle
 and leading a charge by john mitchell, zero abrams, and spirew agnew
 to eat hog maws confiscated from the harlem sanctuary
the revolution will not be televised

the revolution will not be brought to you by the secret award theater
and will not star natalie woods as steve mcqueen
or bullwinkle as julia
the revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal
the revolution will not get rid of the nubs
the revolution will not make you look five pounds thinner
because the revolution will not be televised, brother

there will be no pictures of you and willie mays pushing that shopping cart
 down the block on the dead run
or trying to slide that color tv into a stolen ambulance
nbc will not be able to predict the winner at 8:32 on report from 29 districts
the revolution will not be televised

there will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers on the instant replay
there will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers on the instant replay
there will be no pictures of whitney young being run out of harlem on a rail
 with a brand new process
there will be no slow-motions or still lifes of roy wilkins, strolling thru watts
 in a red black and green liberation jumpsuit
 that he has been saving for just the proper occasion
green acres, beverly hillbillies, and hooterville junction
 will no longer be so damn relevant
and women will not care if dick finally got down with jane on search for tomorrow
because black people will be in the street looking for a brighter day
the revolution will not be televised

there will be no highlights on the eleven o'clock news
 and no pictures of hairy-armed women liberationists
 and jackie o'nassis blowing her nose
the theme song will not be written by jim webb or francis scott keys
 nor sung by glen campbell, tom jones, johnny cash, inglebert humperdink or the rare earth
the revolution will not be televised

the revolution will not be back after a message about a white tornado
 white lightning, or white people
you will not have to worry about a jungle in your bedroom, the tiger in your tank, 
 or the giant in your toilet bowl
the revolution will not go better with coke
the revolution will not fight germs and may cause bad breath
the revolution WILL put you in the driver's seat
the revolution will not be televised
will not be televised
will not be televised...
the revolution will be no reruns, brothers,
the revolution will be live