Released: October 31, 1989

Songwriter: DJ Jazzy Jeff Will Smith

Producer: Will Smith DJ Jazzy Jeff

[INTRO: The Fresh Prince acting as 'The Reverend']
Now brothers and sisters
There comes a time in your life, you've got to get up and get busy
Can I get a witness?
(Yes, brother, yes!)
Now I don't know if you're prepared to embark upon this journey
But the time is running out
Brother Jazzy, break it down

[VERSE ONE: The Fresh Prince]
Liggedy-ladies and gentlemen, hello, and how are you doin all?
Now there's a problem that we really have got to solve
In our society there's a big mess
People are having entirely too much stress
And me and Jeff, yo, we've been workin' on
A way to ease your everyday burdens of
Work and school, because we thought that we should
Make a record that makes people feel good
This is a remedy, simple and basic
You work too hard, come on, face it
You gotta treat yourself, you deserve it
Dance like a wild person, come on, you earned it
Young and old and old and young
Relax, come on, cool out, come and get some
You've got to let yourself go get loose
It's cool
Dance to the music

[VERSE TWO: The Fresh Prince]
T.G.I.F, this beat is def
Can I get a witness, Jeff? (Yes)
Are you ready to start things off yet?
[Scratching] All right, bet
Clap your hands and dance, come on, let's do this
Here is a hip-hop track with a new twist
Designed to ignite your subliminal dance fuse
And even if you can't dance, you can't lose
It's for everybody, you included
We hooked up a beat and a rhyme and EQ'd it
We put it on a tape and took it to wax
And then we-- yo Jeff, where's my beat at?
Oh, there it is, back to the storyline
The music and rhyme are designed to make you have a [good time]
At the party, or wherever you hear it pumpin'
Get up and twist or breakdance or shake somethin'
Yo man, this groove is all o'that
And it's different from anything we've done, in fact
I might even go as far as to say
This cut shines bright on the darkest day
And sometimes you really need some light
Like when your teacher or boss ain't actin' right
This will quench your thirst to chill, it hits the spot
Give em a taste, yo Jeff, let the beat rock


[BREAK: The Fresh Prince acting as 'The Reverend']
Now Brother Jazzy
Please enlighten us with a bassline
( *Jazzy Jeff lets the bassline play* )
And for all the people assembled before us
Brother Jazzy, scratch
( *Jazzy Jeff cuts* )

[ The Fresh Prince ]
We're at the top, not the bottom or the middle
We're the freshest, the deffest, the best
Jeff, cut it up a little

(Oh, I getcha, you wanna dance!)

[VERSE THREE: The Fresh Prince]
Ahhhh... The time is now to get up and dance and move
And clap and jump and jam and feel the groove
I want you wigglin' and jigglin' and stompin' and shakin'
And showin' your approval for the records me and Jeff are makin'
We got a brand new album out
And dancin' and shakin' and movin' is what it's all about
We want everybody to get busy
You're not down with rap? Then get with it
This is a new age, history turned a new page
They said that we would decay and I say who do they
Think they're dealing with, a couple of amateurs?
I'm willin' to bet
You'll hear this jam at your job
And at your school dance and also on the radio
Winter inside the house, summer on the patio
Let me get out of here before I lose it
But remember the motto, y'all: dance to the music

[OUTRO: The Fresh Prince acting as 'The Reverend']
Now now, ladies and gentlemen of the congregation
We realize you may not be in a position to get up and dance right now
So we'd like to ask of you, if you're in your car, honk your horn
Honk your horn to the rhythm
We'd like to ask, if you're behind a desk at your job
We'd like you to tap your pen and pencil to the rhythm
If you're walkin' down the street
You can be a little discreet
And snap your fingers to the beat
But if you are in a position
To get up and dance
We'd like to ask you to wiggle and jiggle everything you got
And get involved with it
This has been the Reverend signin' off
Signin' off
Signin' off

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

“DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince” is a hip-hop duo from West Philadelphia.

Rapper Will Smith (The Fresh Prince) met disc jockey Jeff Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff) in the 1980s, when they were both trying to make names for themselves in West Philadelphia’s local hip hop scene.

The group received the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for “Parents Just Don’t Understand”, though their most successful single was “Summertime” which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.