Released: June 24, 1997
Songwriter: Wyclef Jean
Producer: Wyclef Jean
[Verse 1]
I asked my mother, why do you cry?
She said your brother, he just died
Well I told him not to go outside
He said he had to fight for his country's right
But don't you know that mo-mother
[Chorus]
Don't you know that we can't stop the violence, no
Because the war is not over
Until you can feel love, peace, and hear silence
But I smell gunpowder (pow)
[Verse 2]
My brother's been dead ever since
I didn't believe it, but when I saw him I was convinced
Two shots to the head he was already dead Lord
I headed for revenge in the city of Port Au Prince
Screaming bro-brother
[Chorus]
Don't you know that we can't stop the violence, no
Because the war is not over
Until you can feel love, peace, and hear silence
But I smell gunpowder (pow)
[Verse 3]
Zion's gunpowder (pow) L.A.'s gunpowder (pow)
I wanna know why Christians pray for a new day
(We don't need no, we don't need no, we don't need no)
But its still the same way
I wanna know why ghetto people pray for a new day Hey, hey, heeey
And its still the same way
But the preacher man told me
Good things come to those who wait (Do good things come to those who wait?)
I wanna know tell me
Good things come to those who wait (Do good things come to those who wait?)
We wanna know, we wanna know, we wanna know [pause]
Pe-people
[Chorus]
Don't you know that we can't stop the violence, no
Because the war is not over
Until you can feel love, peace, and hear silence
But I smell gunpowder (pow)
[Outro]
Brooklyn's gunpowder (gunpowder) Shaolin's gunpowder (gunpowder)
Uptown's gunpowder (gunpowder) Jersey's gunpowder (gunpowder)
Even New Zealand's gunpowder (gunpowder) Australia's gunpowder (gunpowder)
Brixton's gunpowder (gunpowder) Even New Haven's gunpowder
I asked my mother, why do you cry?
She said your brother, he just died
Well I told him not to go outside
He said he had to fight for his country's right
But don't you know that mo-mother
[Chorus]
Don't you know that we can't stop the violence, no
Because the war is not over
Until you can feel love, peace, and hear silence
But I smell gunpowder (pow)
[Verse 2]
My brother's been dead ever since
I didn't believe it, but when I saw him I was convinced
Two shots to the head he was already dead Lord
I headed for revenge in the city of Port Au Prince
Screaming bro-brother
[Chorus]
Don't you know that we can't stop the violence, no
Because the war is not over
Until you can feel love, peace, and hear silence
But I smell gunpowder (pow)
[Verse 3]
Zion's gunpowder (pow) L.A.'s gunpowder (pow)
I wanna know why Christians pray for a new day
(We don't need no, we don't need no, we don't need no)
But its still the same way
I wanna know why ghetto people pray for a new day Hey, hey, heeey
And its still the same way
But the preacher man told me
Good things come to those who wait (Do good things come to those who wait?)
I wanna know tell me
Good things come to those who wait (Do good things come to those who wait?)
We wanna know, we wanna know, we wanna know [pause]
Pe-people
[Chorus]
Don't you know that we can't stop the violence, no
Because the war is not over
Until you can feel love, peace, and hear silence
But I smell gunpowder (pow)
[Outro]
Brooklyn's gunpowder (gunpowder) Shaolin's gunpowder (gunpowder)
Uptown's gunpowder (gunpowder) Jersey's gunpowder (gunpowder)
Even New Zealand's gunpowder (gunpowder) Australia's gunpowder (gunpowder)
Brixton's gunpowder (gunpowder) Even New Haven's gunpowder
more tracks from the album
From the album
- The Carnival (1997)
Wyclef Jean popular songs
- Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)
- Guantanamera
- Another One Bites the Dust (Remix)
- I Swear
- Divine Sorrow
- Sang Fezi
- Fast Car (Fugee remix)
- Divine Sorrow - Klingande remix
- Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill) - Remix
- I Swear (Acoustic)
- Inspired By DJ Khaled and Carlos Santana
- Any Other Day (Duet)
- Inspired By Whitney Houston
- Year of the Dragon
- Gunpowder
- Any Other Day
- King & Queen
- Sweetest Girl (Remix)
- Slow Down
- Kenny Rogers - Pharoahe Monch Dub Plate
- Runaway
- Whitney Houston Dub Plate
- Class Reunion
- Gone Till November (The Makin’ Runs Remix)