Kold Kreu - Don't Let 'Em Drop The Bomb [Vocal Mix] (Cleveland, 1984)

All three versions of "Don't Let 'Em Drop the Bomb" from Kold Kreu's 1984 12" of the same name are already here on TH-cam. Nevertheless, an absence of attention to the record's lyrical content makes it worth revisiting. Additionally, consider this selection, the 7-minute + "vocal mix," both a thematic retort to the the Bitch Band No. 1 song preceding it and a presidential prelude to the song that shall immediately follow.
Kold Kreu, misspelled on the second pressing of the record as "Kold Krew," was made up of Curtis Pope, Tim Stokes, Jr., and Ron Shine. I gather they were from Cleveland, like their label, Time Trax Records. Producer Le' Ray Ruffin II is linked to a number of regional funk & electro releases including as producer for Synergy's "Project 5" single and as a part of the outfit Scott & Raven.
Like many in the 80s, the members of Kold Kreu were concerned that the Cold War might get hot. Here, the 1982 Lebanon War is articulated as a possible flashpoint for tensions escalating out of control. The lyrics also express concern over a potential military draft and the injustices of structural classism: "[...] the rich don't go / They go to college make much dough / Drive a Peugeot, go to a show."
[full lyrics]
"This is not another jam just to make you dance
It's a musical message to give you a chance
To know a few things going on in the world
That affect the fly guys and the pretty girls
We're the Kold Kreu and we're on the one
We're here to let you know what's going on
They're sending boys off to Lebanon
And I think they wanna drop the bomb
But don't let 'em
We're getting shot from above and shot from below
There's not a safe place that we can go
And why we fight, I just don't know
We just get a letter and it's time to go
They give you a gun and put you in the field
It's a not a game, it's the real deal
Just dodge them bullets and stay real calm
I think they wanna drop the bomb
But don't let 'em
Don't let 'em
No, no, don't let 'em drop the bomb
Don't let 'em
No, no, can't let 'em drop the bomb
Don't let 'em
No, no, don't let 'em drop the bomb
Don't let 'em
No, no, can't let 'em drop the bomb
Now the only time we see the President
Is when he's saying he's sorry for those he sent
I tell you right now that it's really a drag
When you hear that your brother's coming home in a bag
Girlfriends sigh, mothers cry
And all you can ask is "Why, oh why"
You watch the news and you cry the blues
And drown your tears in a bottle of booze
You realize that the rich don't go
They go to college make much dough
Drive a Peugeot, go to a show
And wait to be in charge when their parents go
Watch TV, what do you see?
Bombing in countries across the sea
I don't understand what makes it so
How can you kill a man that you don't know?
And what will they shoot when the bullets end?
I can't see a light around that bend
Oh no! They say to bomb it just in case
'Cause sweet revenge has an aftertaste
We've hit he point of no return
We've got to make a plan before bridges burn
The people upstairs want to make it clear
1999's almost here
But don't let 'em!
Don't let 'em
No, no, don't let 'em drop the bomb
Don't let 'em
No, no, can't let 'em drop the bomb
Don't let 'em
No, no, don't let 'em drop the bomb
Don't let 'em
Can't let 'em drop the bomb
While we're all out here having a ball
The people on top might end it all
It seems to me they don't give a damn
They should have learned a lesson from Vietnam
They leave one place and find one more
By any other name a war is a ware
Decisions they make can do us harm
I think they wanna drop the bomb
But don't let 'em!
Don't let 'em
No, no, don't let 'em drop the bomb
Don't let 'em
Can't let 'em drop the bomb
Don't let 'em
No, no, don't let 'em drop the bomb
Don't let 'em
Can't let 'em drop the bomb
Don't do it y'all
Don't, don't, don't!
Don't, don't, don't!
Don't, don't, don't!
Don't, don't, don't!
Don't, don't, don't!
Don't, don't, don't!
Don't, don't, don't!
They want to drop the bomb
Don't you let them
They want to drop the bomb
Don't you let them
Don't, don't, don't!
Don't do it y'all
Don't, don't, don't!
One, two, three, four!
What the hell are we doin' in this war?
One, two, three, four!
What the hell are we doin' in this war?"