Started subversive it was anti-Imperial schemes Commoners took up arms, Arnis in the Philippines During the Qing, the Red Boat Opera Company Used their fists to rise up against the emperor's dynasty Translation: this art form's foundations Was for the poor to fight back against the wealth a whole nations No surprise then for some immigrant Chinamen To turn to it to defend Against the steel in the sinner's hands Yea, captivatin', caught the imagination Jesse Glover, the first disciple on Bruce foundations Jeet Kune Do, be like H 2 O Flow water drip harder than my Li-Ning 2 0s Body shots, karate chops? We gon prolly pop Laundry shops, golden rush, they used to strung us up Couldn't trust racist cops, we hadda knuckle up Golly gosh, MMA, yea, now they copy US They gon see Art of War's in my blood, tread lightly Be like Lee Channel Bruce how I live my life I'm a Warrior, living by the code of the Warrior Fists of Fury if I go to war with ya Come at me and I'll wipe the floor with ya I'm a Warrior Prepared for battle, channel Bruce when I flow So when I mic drop, Taimak, you see the glow Who woulda known that our movies will go global like this? From rising against oppression with fury, spoke with our fists Different fighting styles, living by the warrior code Learned from ancient grandmaster teachings recorded on scrolls Expanded to Black and Brown folk through kung-fu cinema White folks made their own McDojos, cuz they want to mimic us While they paint our culture as something that no one's supposed to like Unless you put a white face on it, just look at Cobra Kai I'm building Chi, ain't no Karate Kid move You sold your soul to pop, I'd rather be Water like Bruce The art of Sun Tzu, gong fu, appealing to all colors Thanks to wushu flicks from Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers Influenced Dead Prez and Wu-Tang, obviously So martial arts to my heroes was what Hip-Hop was to me They gon see Art of War's in my blood, tread lightly Be like Lee Channel Bruce how I live my life I'm a Warrior, living by the code of the Warrior Fists of Fury if I go to war with ya Come at me and I'll wipe the floor with ya I'm a Warrior Yeah! This is what I live for Through all the ups and downs The blood, sweat, and tears I'm here now! Stronger than ever! Ain't nothing you can do to stop me