13
Elvis Presley Lyrics

As the snow flies
The scene is set in winter, as snow falls gently from the sky onto a city that is cold and gray.

On a cold and gray Chicago mornin'
The location of the story is Chicago, USA, on a bleak and overcast morning that hardly invites one to venture outside.

A poor little baby child is born
A newborn baby has just come into this world, helpless and innocent, without any understanding of the harsh world it has entered.

In the ghetto
Unfortunately for the baby, it has been born into an impoverished environment where violence, drug abuse, and crime are commonplace.

And his mama cries
The baby's mother is in tears, as she knows the difficult existence that lies ahead for her child.

Cause if there's one thing that she don't need
The mother already has too many mouths to feed, and a new arrival might cause her family to go hungry.

It's another hungry mouth to feed
The baby's arrival only adds to the burden on the mother's already-strained resources, which are barely enough to sustain her family.

People, don't you understand
The artist pleads with society, urging them to acknowledge that this baby is in dire need of assistance.

The child needs a helping hand
The baby is incapable of taking care of itself, and it is every person's moral responsibility to aid those who are vulnerable.

Or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day
Without help, the baby may become frustrated and despondent, possibly leading him on a path towards violent behavior and aggression later in life.

Take a look at you and me,
The singer challenges society by asking them to honestly assess their own lives and think about the disadvantages they are fortunate enough to have never faced.

Are we too blind to see,
The artist asks people whether they are deliberately ignoring the inequality and suffering that surrounds them.

Do we simply turn our heads
The singer accuses society of looking away from the problems at hand, rather than doing something constructive to help.

And look the other way
It's easy to ignore the plight of those who are less fortunate, but it ultimately perpetuates pain and suffering in the world.

Well the world turns
Despite the ongoing human suffering that occurs on Earth, life goes on, as the world continues to spin and change.

And a hungry little boy with a runny nose
The artist describes a young child, who is hungry and malnourished, with obvious signs of illness that go untreated.

Plays in the street as the cold wind blows
Despite the cold and illness, the young boy tries to find joy in simple pleasures, such as playing outside in the street.

So he starts to roam the streets at night
The young boy becomes lonely and desperate for sustenance, which drives him to venture out into the city's dangerous back alleys after dark.

And he learns how to steal
Due to a lack of resources, the boy becomes involved in petty crime to get by, which only perpetuates the cycle of poverty and violence he finds himself in.

And he learns how to fight
The young boy must be prepared to defend himself from other kids and gangs if he is to stay safe while living on the streets.

Then one night in desperation
With no end in sight to his dire situation, the boy reaches the point of desperation and feels compelled to take action.

A young man breaks away
The boy grows up into a young man who decides to take matters into his own hands and break out of the cycle of poverty by any means necessary.

He buys a gun, steals a car,
Eventually, the young man reaches a breaking point and uses violent means to aid in his escape from the poverty that has plagued his life.

Tries to run, but he don't get far
Despite his efforts to escape his circumstances, the young man discovers that breaking free from the shackles of poverty is no easy feat.

And his mama cries
The mother of the young man can only lament the fact that her son is caught up in a life of crime and desperation, and wonders where she went wrong.

As a crowd gathers 'round an angry young man
The singer describes a crowd of people surrounding the young man as they gaze on in disgust and confusion at the violence and crime he is ensnared in.

Face down on the street with a gun in his hand
The young man lies helpless and defeated in the street, at the mercy of the violent conditions that have surrounded him his entire life.

On a cold and gray Chicago mornin'
The cycle of violence has continued to plague Chicago, driven by poverty and a lack of opportunities, and another newborn child is born into the same harsh world.

Another little baby child is born
Like the child that opened this song, another helpless newborn is born into poverty, violence, and despair.

And his mama cries
The mother of the newborn weeps, knowing the hardships that lie ahead for her child, and wondering whether anything will ever change.