Inner City Blues
Benson George / Gerald Albright / Lee Ritenour Lyrics
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Dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah
Dah, dah, dah, dah
Dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah
Dah, dah, dah
Rockets, moon shots
Spend it on the have nots
Money, we make it
Oh, make you wanna holler
The way they do my life
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
This ain't livin', this ain't livin'
No, no baby, this ain't livin'
No, no, no
Inflation no chance
To increase finance
Bills pile up sky high
Send that boy off to die
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
Dah, dah, dah
Dah, dah, dah
Hang ups, let downs
Bad breaks, set backs
Natural fact is
I can't pay my taxes
Oh, make me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands
Yea, it makes me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands
Crime is increasing
Trigger happy policing
Panic is spreading
God know where we're heading
Oh, make me wanna holler
They don't understand
Dah, dah, dah
Dah, dah, dah
Dah, dah, dah
Mother, mother
Everybody thinks we're wrong
Who are they to judge us
Simply cause we wear our hair long
The song Inner City Blues by Benson George/Gerald Albright/Lee Ritenour is a powerful protest song that reflects on the social and political issues that plagued inner city African American communities in the 1970s. The lyrics are a commentary on the struggles faced by the black community at the time, including poverty, violence, and discrimination. The opening lines of the song, “Rockets, moon shots, Spend it on the have nots, Money, we make it, Fore we see it you take it”, speak to the sense of disillusionment felt by the black community as they watched the government invest large sums of money into the space program while they suffered in poverty with little support.
The lyrics, “Make me wanna holler, And throw up both my hands”, convey a sense of despair and frustration at the injustices and hardships that many black Americans faced on a daily basis. The chorus of the song, “This ain't livin', this ain't livin', No, no baby, this ain't livin', No, no, no”, reflects a feeling of hopelessness and a desire for change. Additionally, the lyrics, “Crime is increasing, Trigger happy policing, Panic is spreading, God know where we're heading”, address the issue of police brutality and the fear that many black Americans felt in their own neighborhoods.
Overall, Inner City Blues is a powerful and poignant song that speaks to the struggles and injustices faced by the black community in the 1970s. The themes and messages in the song are unfortunately still relevant today, making it a timeless protest anthem.
Line by Line Meaning
Dah, dah, dah, dah
Instrumental section
Rockets, moon shots
Money spent on space exploration instead of helping the poor
Spend it on the have nots
Use the money to help needy people
Money, we make it
We make money by working hard
Fore we see it you take it
The government takes most of our money in taxes before we can benefit from it
Oh, make you wanna holler
It's frustrating and depressing
The way they do my life
The government's actions make my life difficult
This ain't livin', this ain't livin'
Life is unbearable under these circumstances
No, no baby, this ain't livin'
No, it's not living at all
Inflation no chance
Inflation makes it difficult to improve financial situation
To increase finance
To make more money
Bills pile up sky high
Bills accumulate and become unmanageable
Send that boy off to die
The government sends young people to fight in wars unnecessarily
Hang ups, let downs
Disappointments and setbacks
Bad breaks, set backs
Misfortunes and failures
Natural fact is
The reality is
I can't pay my taxes
I'm unable to pay my taxes
Crime is increasing
The crime rate is going up
Trigger happy policing
Police officers resort to shooting too easily
Panic is spreading
Fear and panic are becoming prevalent
God know where we're heading
Nobody knows what the future holds
They don't understand
The government does not understand the struggles of its people
Mother, mother
A call for help
Everybody thinks we're wrong
Others judge us unfairly
Who are they to judge us
Why do they have the right to judge us?
Simply cause we wear our hair long
Being judged based on appearance
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES NYX, MARVIN GAYE, MARVIN P GAYE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Janie Scott
Smooth Jazz at it's best,a nice journey back to yesterday, beautiful 🌹💙🌹.
Inga Hicks
The music is smooth, just like smooth jazz is supposed to be. The photography is amazing!! Some of these pics take me back to the old days in da hood growing :)
crdaniels1984
To say a classic this is it. This brings back some of those "best of..." smooth jazz memories.
l w
this is NOT smooth jazz
crdaniels1984
@l w My response was it brings back memories of...
Joanne Jones
Loving on this.❤❤🎷
Ben
I'm sure this is a classic now, I remember hearing this in France about 20 years ago
Ron Globe
This is just where it's at....humble with love!
Alessio Roma
Real Music ✨️🎶
Laurent Coca
Its sound makes me revive