BLACK PARADE by Beyoncé Lyrics Meaning – Unpacking the Empowerment Anthem
Lyrics
I’m goin’ back, back, back, back
Where my roots ain’t watered down
Growin’, growin’ like a Baobab tree
Of life on fertile ground, ancestors put me on game
Ankh charm on gold chains, with my Oshun energy, oh
Drip all on me, woo, Ankara Dashiki print
Hol’ up, don’t I smell like satya, Nag Champa incense?
Yeah, pure ice (ice), ice (ice), buss down
Uh, flooded (flooded), flooded (flooded), on my wrist, ow
Ooh, goin’ up, goin’ up, motherland, motherland drip on me
Ooh, melanin, melanin, my drip is skin deep, like
Ooh, motherland, motherland, motherland, motherland drip on me
Eeya, I can’t forget my history is her story, yeah
Being black, maybe that’s the reason why they always mad
Yeah, they always mad, yeah
Been passed ’em, I know that’s the reason why they all big mad
And they always have been
Honey, come around my way, around my hive
Whenever momma says so, momma say
Here I come on my throne, sittin’ high
Follow my parade, oh, my parade
Talkin’ slick to my folk (my folk), nip that lip like lipo (lipo)
You hear them swarmin’, right? Bees is known to bite
Now here we come on our thrones, sittin’ high
Follow my parade, oh, my parade
On fours, all black
All chrome, black-owned
Black tints, matte black
Walked by, my window down, let ’em see who in it
Crack a big smile (ding)
Go figure, me and Jigga, fifty ‘leven children
They like, “Chick, how?”
I charge my crystals in a full moon
You could send them missiles, I’ma send my goons
Baby sister reppin’ Yemaya (Yemaya)
Trust me, they gon’ need an army
Rubber bullets bouncin’ off me
Made a picket sign off your picket fence
Take it as a warning
Waist beads from Yoruba (woo)
Four hunnid billi’, Mansa Musa (woo)
Stroll line to the barbeque
Put us any damn where, we gon’ make it look cute
Pandemic fly on the runway, in my hazmat
Children runnin’ through the house and my art, all black
Ancestors on the wall, let the ghosts chit-chat
(Ancestors on the wall, let the ghosts chit-chat)
Hold my hands, we gon’ pray together
Lay down, face down in the gravel
We wearin’ all attire white to the funeral
Black love, we gon’ stay together
Curtis Mayfield on the speaker (woo)
Lil’ Malcolm, Martin, mixed with momma Tina (woo)
Need another march, lemme call Tamika (woo)
Need peace and reparation for my people (woo)
Fuck these laid edges, I’ma let it shrivel up (shrivel up)
Fuck this fade and waves, I’ma let it dread all up (dread all up)
Put your fists up in the air, show black love (show black love)
Motherland drip on me, motherland, motherland drip on me
Honey, come around my way, around my hive
Whenever momma says so, momma say
Here I come on my throne, sittin’ high
Follow my parade, oh, my parade
Talkin’ slick to my folk (my folk), nip that lip like lipo (lipo)
You hear ’em swarmin’, right? Bees is known to bite
Now here we come on our thrones, sittin’ high
Follow my parade, oh, my parade
We got rhythm (we got rhythm), we got pride (we got pride)
We birth kings (we birth kings), we birth tribes (we birth tribes)
Holy river (holy river), holy tongue (holy tongue)
Speak the glory (speak the glory), feel the love (feel the love)
Motherland, motherland drip on me, hey, hey, hey
Motherland, motherland drip on me, hey, hey, hey
I can’t forget my history, it’s her story
Motherland drip on me, motherland, motherland drip on me
Honey, come around my way, around my hive
Whenever momma says so, momma say
Here I come on my throne, sittin’ high
Follow my parade, oh, my parade
Talkin’ slick to my folk (my folk), lift that lip like lipo (lipo)
You hear ’em swarmin’, right? Bees is known to bite
Now here we come on our thrones, sittin’ high
Follow my parade, oh, black parade
In the landscape of music that magnifies the deepest facets of cultural pride and identity, Beyoncé’s ‘BLACK PARADE’ emerges as an anthem of unfettered strength and celebration. Released on Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, the track is both a homage to African American resilience and a clarion call to embrace the vivid tapestry that is Black heritage.
From invoking ancestral spirits to wielding the aesthetics of revolution, Beyoncé’s lyrics in ‘BLACK PARADE’ offer a multi-layered exploration of Black identity. It is through these elements that the song transcends mere musicality to become a powerful testament to history, legacy, and the ongoing fight for equality.
A Journey Back to African Roots
‘I’m goin’ back to the South…where my roots ain’t watered down’ is transportive, carrying the listener to a space where the roots of Black identity stand undiluted and strong. Beyoncé’s evocation of the Baobab tree – an enduring symbol of life and growth in Africa – plants her narrative firmly in the fertile ground of heritage and ancestral power.
The significance of the ankh charm, gold chains, and the Oshun energy reference compounds this deep connection to African spirituality and wealth. Beyoncé is not just signaling a physical return to origins but also an embrace of the spiritual and cultural richness that has defined and sustained African diasporic communities.
Fashion as Rebellion – The Ankara and Dashiki
The sartorial choices highlighted in the lyrics – Ankara and Dashiki prints – resonate deeply as emblems of African style, reclaimed and proudly worn as a statement against centuries of cultural oppression. Beyoncé’s ‘drip’ is an assertion of identity; garments become the canvas upon which history is painted in vibrant, defiant strokes.
The mention of Nag Champa incense infuses the scene with a sense of the sacred and traditional, while the ‘ice’ and ‘flooded’ wristwatch serve as symbols of financial success and reclamation of luxury that has often been denied or appropriated from Black cultures.
The Hidden Layers of ‘Motherland Drip’
Beyoncé’s chorus celebrates ‘melanin’ and ‘motherland drip,’ affirming the inherent beauty and strength found in Blackness. The use of ‘drip,’ a term commonly used in modern vernacular to describe style and swagger, is recontextualized here to reflect deeply ingrained cultural and racial pride.
Moreover, the repeated invocations of ‘motherland’ emphasize a collective heritage that is a source of pride and strength. The ‘drip’ is more than surface level – it’s ‘skin deep,’ an indelible part of the Black experience that can’t be washed away or ignored.
Memorable Lines: ‘Rubber bullets bouncin’ off me’
This line packs a potent punch. Beyoncé nods to the contemporary plight of Black individuals facing police brutality while simultaneously invoking an image of impenetrable resilience. The act of turning ‘picket signs off your picket fence’ is revolutionary reversal, turning the instruments of the suburban, often exclusionary ideal on its head to serve the purpose of protest and progress.
These few words capture a multitude of experiences; they lament the injustices faced by the Black community, mock the insufficient responses to their struggles, and ultimately, proclaim an enduring spirit that won’t be subdued by violence or intimidation.
Cultural Titans and the Call for Unity
By invoking figures like Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and her own mother Tina Knowles, Beyoncé situates herself in a lineage of Black excellence and activism. Her summons for ‘another march’ and for ‘peace and reparations for my people’ is not just a call to action; it is an invocation for unity and the continuation of a fight that spans generations.
The track culminates in a powerful expression of communal strength, with ‘fists up in the air’ and ‘all attire white to the funeral’ – suggesting a death to silence and passivity. In essence, ‘BLACK PARADE’ is a celebration of Black life, a defiant dance in the face of adversity, and a commitment to staying together through the pain and triumphs yet to come.
