Come here, son... sit down

There's things they'll never teach you

Ish Mwen... KUTE

This world done lost its mind, they sell you shine for soul

Money makes a wise man blind, the screen takes its toll

Turn that TV off a while, let your spirit breathe

Some truths don't come in prime time, son, they come from me

Remember what they did to those who came before

A crown don't guarantee a brother won't sell you out the door

So keep your eyes wide open, keep your spine held straight

The chains they couldn't see were the heaviest weight

Our people once wore crowns — no classroom says it loud

They tore out every page, but the blood remembers proud

And even with your father gone, no law can dim your light

Hold on to hope, my child, and carry on the fight

Ish Mwen, KUTE — my child, listen close

Take these words and hold them like gold

You were born to stand and fight

Like the ancestors did, with all their might

And if I fall, don't shed no tears

The road's been drawn through all these years

Rise up if you can, defend

Your people and your land — until the end

They came for Sankara, they silenced Lumumba's voice

The brightest flames go first — that was never chance, that's choice

And no one teaches Nzinga, or Heva on the run

Or Makeda on her throne beneath the rising sun

The women made us all — that's where your honor starts

Raise a hand against just one, you break your mother's heart

So walk with that respect, let it guide everything

'Cause a man who guards his queens walks taller than a king

Ish Mwen, KUTE — my child, listen close

Take these words and hold them like gold

You were born to stand and fight

Like the ancestors did, with all their might

And if I fall, don't shed no tears

The road's been drawn through all these years

Rise up if you can, defend

Your people and your land — until the end

If I'm gone tomorrow (don't cry, don't cry)

The path is laid before you (rise high, rise high)

Every step you're walking, I am at your side

Carry the flame, my child... let it never die

Ish Mwen, KUTE — my child, listen close

Take these words and hold them like gold

You were born to stand and fight

Like the ancestors did, with all their might

And if I fall, don't shed no tears

The road's been drawn through all these years

Rise up if you can, defend

Your people and your land — until the end

Ish Mwen... KUTE

Listen... remember... rise

Ish Mwen... KUTE

Remember... rise