Give More Power to the People
The Chi-Lites Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

For God's sake, you got to give more power to the people
There's some people up there hoggin' everything
Tellin' lies, givin' alibis about the people's money and things
And if they gonna throw it away, might as well give some to me
Yeah they seen and heard it, but never had misery
There are some people who are starvin' to death
Never knew but only hate us [?], and they never had happiness
Oh, oh, oh, if you don't have enough to eat, how can you think of love
You don't have the time to care so it's crime you're guilty of, oh yeah

For God's sake, you got to give more power to the people
For God's sake, why don't you give more power to the people

Cut this jive and see who's got the power to kill the most
When they run out of power, the world's gonna be a ghost
They know we're not satisfied, so we begin to holler
Makin' us a promise and throwin' a few more dollars
There's no price for happiness, there's no price for love
Up goes the price of livin', and you're right back where you was




So whatever you got, just be glad you got it
Now we're gonna get on up and get some more of it

Overall Meaning

The Chi-Lites's song Give More Power to the People is a call to action for those who have been oppressed and marginalized by the powers that be. The lyrics implore the listener to take action and demand more power, both politically and socially.


The verse "There's some people up there hoggin' everything, Tellin' lies, givin' alibis about the people's money and things" speaks to the idea of those in power using their influence to control the narrative and hoard resources for themselves, leaving those less fortunate with little to nothing. The line "if they gonna throw it away, might as well give some to me" suggests that if those in power are not going to use their resources for the greater good, they may as well give them to those in need.


The chorus "For God's sake, you got to give more power to the people" is a rallying cry for action, encouraging listeners to take control of their own lives and demand change. The song ends on a hopeful note with "Now we're gonna get on up and get some more of it," suggesting that through collective action and solidarity, change is possible.


Line by Line Meaning

For God's sake, you got to give more power to the people
It's crucial to empower the people with more control.


There's some people up there hoggin' everything
Some people in power are selfishly keeping everything to themselves.


Tellin' lies, givin' alibis about the people's money and things
Those in power are lying and making excuses for mishandling the people's resources.


And if they gonna throw it away, might as well give some to me
If those in power are going to waste resources, then they should at least distribute some to those in need.


Yeah they seen and heard it, but never had misery
Those in power may have heard about the struggles of the less fortunate, but they've never personally experienced it.


There are some people who are starvin' to death
There are people who are dying of starvation due to lack of resources.


Never knew but only hate us [?], and they never had happiness
Those experiencing extreme poverty may not even understand what true happiness is, only knowing hate or sadness.


Oh, oh, oh, if you don't have enough to eat, how can you think of love
If basic needs like food aren't being met, it's difficult to prioritize anything else like love.


You don't have the time to care so it's crime you're guilty of, oh yeah
Without resources or time, it's difficult to care for and help others, but not doing so can be a moral failure.


Cut this jive and see who's got the power to kill the most
Stop with the nonsense and see who has the most destructive power.


When they run out of power, the world's gonna be a ghost
If those in power use up all resources and destroy everything, the world will be barren and empty.


They know we're not satisfied, so we begin to holler
Those in power know that the people are unhappy and are starting to voice their discontent.


Makin' us a promise and throwin' a few more dollars
Those in power may offer small bribes or make empty promises to pacify the people.


There's no price for happiness, there's no price for love
The most important things in life, like happiness and love, cannot be bought with money.


Up goes the price of livin', and you're right back where you was
As the cost of living rises, those in poverty remain stuck in the same cycle without relief or upward mobility.


So whatever you got, just be glad you got it
Those with resources should be grateful for what they have and mindful of those who have less.


Now we're gonna get on up and get some more of it
It's time for the people to take action and demand more resources and power for themselves.


For God's sake, why don't you give more power to the people
A plea to those in power to relinquish some control and empower the people.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EUGENE RECORD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@wavvy6654

Give More Power To The People
For God's sake, you got to give more power to the people
There's some people up there hoggin' everything
Tellin' lies, givin' alibis about the people's money and things
And if they gonna throw it away, might as well give some to me
Yeah they seen and heard it, but never had misery
There are some people who are starvin' to death
Never knew but only hate us [?], and they never had happiness
Oh, oh, oh, if you don't have enough to eat, how can you think of love
You don't have the time to care so it's crime you're guilty of, oh yeah
For God's sake, you got to give more power to the people
For God's sake, why don't you give more power to the people
Cut this jive and see who's got the power to kill the most
When they run out of power, the world's gonna be a ghost
They know we're not satisfied, so we begin to holler
Makin' us a promise and throwin' a few more dollars
There's no price for happiness, there's no price for love
Up goes the price of livin', and you're right back where you was
So whatever you got, just be glad you got it
Now we're gonna get on up and get some more of it



All comments from YouTube:

@divadoll606

"For God's sake, got to have it, more power." This song is a gem. So glad it went through the archives of my mind and I had to give it a listen. Still relevant today.

@a.b.s_productions

I remember the first time I heard this song. I was 11 and my father put it on a tape for me. I blast the hell out of it. I had no idea this song was about 30 years old at the time.

@whoiscarlito

All power to the people!! ✊🏾

@tonyktown

I'll never forget this song as long as I live. The jukebox in my stepdad's cafe had just been refilled. I decided to play this tune (loved the Chi-lites). His juke was very loud....and the cafe full of old people (you know over 35). When the song started these IDIOTS thought it was an air raid siren and started going in full panic...(in the 60's btw). Watching these fools start scrambling and getting all worked up is still the funniest thing I've ever witnessed.

@Suchapill

lmao

@ericwalker7189

This was one of the anthems of my generation. It is our anthem now..We will fight this evil power and defeat it by any means necessary. All power to the people.

@muffs55mercury61

If any song makes me appreciate the great music we had, this is one of them. This hit the hot 100 51 years ago this month (April, 1971) & I still get choked up listening to it. Sadly the nucleus of this group are all gone now. The lyrics to this song are ever so true now, maybe even more than in 1971.

@deborahmoore8023

My jam back in Junior high school! What a powerful song and still so relevant today! We must give more power to the people! 👍👍👍

@gregcummings7710

still resonates today 46 years later the rich still gettin richer the poor is still gettin more poorer

@geoorobo1549

This must be one of the best intros to a record ever!!

More Comments

More Versions