Clap your hands, everybody

If you got what it takes

'Cause I'm Kurtis Blow and I want you to know

That these are the breaks

Brakes on a bus, brakes on a car

Breaks to make you a superstar

Breaks to win and breaks to lose

But these here breaks will rock your shoes

If your woman steps out with another man

And she runs off with him to Japan

And the IRS says they want to chat

And you can't explain why you claimed your cat

And Ma Bell sends you a whopping bill

With eighteen phone calls to Brazil

And you borrowed money from the mob

And yesterday you lost your job

Throw your hands up in the sky

And wave 'em 'round from side to side

And if you deserve a break tonight

Somebody say all right (all right)

Say ho (ho)

You don't stop

I keep on, somebody scream

Breaks on a stage, breaks on a screen

Breaks to make your wallet lean

Breaks run cold and breaks run hot

Some folks got 'em and some have not

But these are the breaks

To the girl in brown, stop messing around

To the guy in blue, what you gon' do?

And to the girl in green, don't be so mean

And the guy in red, say what I said

Brakes on a plane, brakes on a train

Breaks to make you go insane

Breaks in love, breaks in war

But we got the breaks to get you on the floor

Break down, yo

You say last week you met the perfect guy

And he promised you the stars in the sky

He said his Cadillac was gold

But he didn't say it was ten years old

He took you out to the Red Coach grill

But he forgot the cash and you paid the bill

And he told you the story of his life

But he forgot the part about his wife

Break down, ya