Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)

Album: Mothership Connection (1975)
Charted: 15
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  • Tear the roof off, we're gonna tear the roof off the mother, sucker
    Tear the roof off the sucker
    Tear the roof off, we're gonna tear the roof off the mother, sucker
    Tear the roof off the sucker
    Tear the roof off, we're gonna tear the roof off the mother, sucker
    Tear the roof off the sucker
    Tear the roof off, we're gonna tear the roof off the mother, sucker
    Tear the roof off the sucker

    You've got a real type of thing going down, gettin' down
    There's a whole lot of rhythm going round
    You've got a real type of thing going down, gettin' down
    There's a whole lot of rhythm going round

    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk
    We gotta have that funk

    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk
    We gotta have that funk

    La la la la la
    Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, ow!

    La la la la la
    Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, ow!

    You've got a real type of thing going down, gettin' down
    There's a whole lot of rhythm going round
    You've got a real type of thing going down, gettin' down
    There's a whole lot of rhythm going round

    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk
    We gotta have that funk
    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk
    We gotta have that funk

    La la la la la
    Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, ow!

    La la la la la
    Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, ow!

    We're gonna turn this mother out

    You've got a real type of thing going down, gettin' down
    There's a whole lot of rhythm going round
    You've got a real type of thing going down, gettin' down
    There's a whole lot of rhythm going round
    You've got a real type of thing going down, gettin' down
    There's a whole lot of rhythm going round
    You've got a real type of thing going down, gettin' down
    There's a whole lot of rhythm going round

    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk
    We gotta have that funk
    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk
    We gotta have that funk
    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk (let us in we'll tear this mother out)
    We gotta have that funk
    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk (let us in we'll tear this mother out)
    We gotta have that funk
    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk
    We gotta have that funk
    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk
    We gotta have that funk
    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk
    We gotta have that funk

    We want the funk (we're gonna turn this mother out)
    Give up the funk
    We need the funk (we're gonna turn this mother out)
    We gotta have that funk
    We want the funk (we're gonna turn this mother out)
    Give up the funk
    We need the funk (we're gonna turn this mother out)
    We gotta have that funk

    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk (let us in we'll tear this mother out)
    We gotta have that funk
    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk (let us in we'll tear this mother out)
    We gotta have that funk

    We want the funk
    Give up the funk
    We need the funk
    We gotta have that funk
    We want the funk
    Give up the funk
    We need the funk
    We gotta have that funk

    We want the funk
    Give up the funk
    We need the funk
    We gotta have that funk

    La la la la la
    Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, ow!

    La la la la la
    Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, ow!

    You've got a real type of thing going down, gettin' down
    There's a whole lot of rhythm going round
    You've got a real type of thing going down, gettin' down
    There's a whole lot of rhythm going round

    Ow, we want the funk
    Give up the funk
    Ow, we need the funk (let us in we'll tear this mother out)
    We gotta have that funk
    Ow, we want the funk Writer/s: George Jr. Clinton, Jerome Eugene Brailey, William Earl Collins
    Publisher: Word Collections Publishing
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 6

  • Funkyin2023 from TexasGUTF is also in the movie Moneyball. It’s the song Jeremy Giambi is getting down to (can’t blame him) in the locker room after a loss and Billy Bean goes in to shut him the hell up. Lololololol
  • Stukka63 from St.augustine, Fla.Regardless of whatever type music your into, this just kicks ass.
  • Johnny from Claxton, GaP funk means "pure funk".... it's a play on a street description for drugs... "P" means it's pure... as in "make my funk the "p" funk.. i want my funk uncut."

    No offense Simon, but your explanations are just explanations that sounded as if they should be right... to you. And the music industry wasn't trying to shut them out... rob them blind maybe... but George and company were greatly in demand.
  • Camille from Toronto, OhThe song has terrific attitude. They get as close as you can get without using the M-F word with their lyrics: "Tear the roof off the mother, sucker". In fact, it's hard to believe they got so much airplay due to how the lyrics could potentially sound to the casual listener. Still, I love it and wish we heard it more often on the radio.
  • Simon from Atlanta, GaBtw, "p funk" is short for a Parlia-Funkadelicment thang".
  • Simon from Atlanta, GaThey felt that the music industry was trying to shut them out at the time, and they were demanding to be let in, so to speak. Hence the phrase: "Let us in, we'll turn this mutha out!"
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