So you say you never heard of the ‘Inner City Blues’
And what’s more you don’t understand it all
What the ghetto folks mean about ‘living behind walls’?
Then put on your best suit, white shirt and tie
And run on downtown to stand in line
For a job washing dishes but you may not qualify.
Walk a big hole in a new pair of shoes
And you’ve had your first look at the ‘Inner City Blues’.
Go looking for a place to live but all the while
Beware of what’s lurking behind the devil’s smile.
Are we stupid or just naive that we continues to believe
Money can buy us anything
Including a slice of ‘the American Dream’?
Yeah, answer ads in the paper about ‘houses for sale’
And get treated like Charles Manson out on bail
When you start to get frustrated by the tactics they use
You’ll recognize that, feeling
It’s the ‘Inner City Blues’
Yeah make you wanna holler sometimes
And throw up both your hands
And haven’t you ever wondered about
Why some brothers and sisters were down and out?
Receiving their sympathy from a bottle of wine
Or worse yet ‘old homicide’
Living their lives in a glassine bag
While praising the mysteries of terminal scag?
Some of our brothers are on parading in drag?
Another set of victims to what you choose
Yeah you can recognize that, that’s the inner city blues
Makes you want to holler sometimes and throw up both your hands
To see sweet sisters, blossoms of our African tree
Profiling on the corner, talking ‘bout ten and three
Because in spite of all the money we made and taxes we paid
The woman was looking at hungry days and some decisions had to be made
Would you tell her it’s better to go to your grave as a slave to a minimum wage
Well, I hardly think so, but makes you want to holler
And throw up both your hands
And what happens when people start to think they have nothing to lose
Nothing to lose
Did you ever hear about Mark Essex and the things that made him choose to fight the inner city blues
Yeah, Essex took to the rooftops guerilla style and watched while all the crackers went wild
Brought in 600 troops, brand new I hear, to see them crushed with fear
Essex fought back with a thousand rounds and New Orleans was a changing town
Rat a tat tat tat was the only sound, yeah
Bring on the stone rifles to knock down walls
Bring on the elephant guns
Bring on the helicopters to block out the sun
Yeah, made the devil wanna holler cause 8 was dead and a dozen was down
Cries for freedom were a brand new sound
New York, Chicago, Frisco, LA
Justice was served and the unjust were afraid
Because in spite of all the years and all the fears
Brothers were alive to courage found and spreading them god**** blues around
Yeah, make you wanna holler black people and hold up both your hands and say
Liberation!
