Moneyman: Lupe Fiasco's poem for the Occupy movement

October 14, 2011
Issue 
Lupe Fiasco for President graphic
Lupe Fiasco for President artwork.

Lupe Fiasco, a US hip hop artist, wrote the following poem in support of the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement. It was published in the second edition of The Occupied Wall Street Journal, which is published by activists in the OWS movement.

Fiasco has publicly supported the movement from its early days and donated 50 tents to those occupying Liberty Square in New York.

* * *

Hey Moneyman the crowd is outside. The past, the future and the now is outside. The teachers and cooks and the drop-outs too. Word on the street is they looking for you…

Hey Moneyman they saying what’s the score? And how much blood have you spilled on the butcher shop floor? Those numbers keep running but what they running into? The crowd is outside and they asking of you…

Hey Moneyman Moneyman the mayor’s on the phone. He says he wants to know if all those people went home. Those momma’s and poppa’s and students and cooks. Those teachers and preachers, one second I’ll look…

Hey Moneyman Moneyman the tents are still up, the songs are still singing and the coffee’s in cups. The night’s due to fall and the sun’s going down but it’s still a whole mess of good folks hanging round...

Their eyes are wide and their voices are loud. It’s white and black and colourless proud. The signs are big and the smiles are bright. By heaven I reckon it’s gone be one hell of a night!

Hey Moneyman poor Moneyman you should slip out the back. Cuz the forces of greed are under attack. No bombs or bullets or rocks or guns. Just hashtags and voices at the tops of their lungs!

And Moneyman Moneyman I won’t need a ride. But if you need me…

You can find me outside.

Video: Lupe Fiasko at BET awards. rafiq jawad.

'Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist. Gaza strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say shit.' Lupe Fiasco performs "Words I Never Said" at the 2011 BET Hip Hop awards in a T-shirt supporting the Occupy movement and a Palestinian scarf on his mike stand.

You need Green Left, and we need you!

Green Left is funded by contributions from readers and supporters. Help us reach our funding target.

Make a One-off Donation or choose from one of our Monthly Donation options.

Become a supporter to get the digital edition for $5 per month or the print edition for $10 per month. One-time payment options are available.

You can also call 1800 634 206 to make a donation or to become a supporter. Thank you.