Stand Up
Keb' Mo' Lyrics


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Listen up get ready, I′m not gonna
Take no more
There's a revolution, a revelation
Going on in my soul
Buckle up, get ready, we′re not
Gonna sit back and wait
And allow ourselves, and each other
To lose control of our fate
There'll be no sacrifice, no more tears
No more pain, no more fears
I'm gonna make my move
Get out of my way
′Cause we′ve been waitin' way too long

We don′t weep, we don't moan
We′ve got a mind, of our own
That's right, we can′t go wrong
If we, stand up and be strong

Get up everybody, get off your ass
We gotta do something, and we got
To do it fast
Cause the people are hungry, starvin'
And the fuel is low
Don't wait for Jesus, he ain′t comin′ back no mo'
We gotta sacrifice, have no fear
Shed no blood, shed no tears
We′ve gotta make our move, get out of our way
'Cause we′ve been waiting way too long

We don't weep, we don′t moan
We've got a mind, of our own




That's right, we can′t go wrong
If we, stand up and be strong.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Keb' Mo's song Stand Up convey a powerful message of self-empowerment and activism. The opening verse announces a personal shift within the artist and their commitment to revolution and revelation. The sense of urgency is emphasized by the repetition of "listen up, get ready, buckle up" and the call to action to not sit back and allow fate to be determined for us. The artist's agency is asserted in the lines, "I'm gonna make my move, get out of my way", which suggests a determination to take control of their life and destiny.


The second verse is a call to action for everyone to join in and take responsibility for making change. The exhortation to "get up everybody, get off your ass" is direct and unequivocal. The lyric, "Don't wait for Jesus, he ain't comin' back no mo'" strikes a particularly poignant note as it suggests that the responsibility for making positive change lies with us all, here and now. The reference to hunger and starvation underscores the urgency of the situation and the need for collective action.


The chorus emphasizes the message that the power to effect change lies within us all. The assertion that "we've got a mind of our own" and "we can't go wrong if we stand up and be strong" reiterates the importance of individual and collective action. The repeated refrain "we don't weep, we don't moan" reinforces the idea that we must be resilient and determined in the face of adversity to make change happen.


Line by Line Meaning

Listen up get ready, I′m not gonna Take no more
I'm tired of the way things are and I'm ready to take action to change them.


There's a revolution, a revelation Going on in my soul
I have a strong desire for change within myself and in the world around me.


Buckle up, get ready, we′re not Gonna sit back and wait And allow ourselves, and each other To lose control of our fate
We can't afford to be passive and let things just happen; we need to take control of our lives and our destiny.


There'll be no sacrifice, no more tears No more pain, no more fears I'm gonna make my move Get out of my way ′Cause we′ve been waitin' way too long
We've suffered enough and it's time to make a change, no matter what it takes.


We don’t weep, we don't moan We′ve got a mind, of our own That's right, we can′t go wrong If we, stand up and be strong
We are capable of making our own decisions and creating positive change if we stand together and stay strong.


Get up everybody, get off your ass We gotta do something, and we got To do it fast
We need to stop being complacent and start taking action immediately.


Cause the people are hungry, starvin' And the fuel is low Don't wait for Jesus, he ain′t comin′ back no mo'
The situation is dire and we can't wait for divine intervention to help us; it's up to us to make a change.


We gotta sacrifice, have no fear Shed no blood, shed no tears We′ve gotta make our move, get out of our way 'Cause we′ve been waiting way too long
We may have to make sacrifices along the way, but we need to remain strong and resolute in pursuing our goals.


We don't weep, we don′t moan We've got a mind, of our own That's right, we can′t go wrong If we, stand up and be strong.
Once again, we can achieve great things if we have the courage and determination to stand up for what we believe in.




Writer(s): Kevin R Moore, Clayton Paul Gibb

Contributed by Connor Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Angel Flores


on The Whole Enchilada (Bonus Acoustic)

You gon die if u put yo hands on me nigga

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