The band has been cited as a major influence by higher-profile hardcore punk acts such as Hot Water Music and Dillinger Four. Jack Rabid, music critic and publisher of the music magazine Big Takeover, once listed Leatherface's 1992 release Mush as one of the fifty greatest punk albums of all time.
Their ninth full length release ‘The Stormy Petrel’ was released to critical acclaim in February 2010 on their own record label Big Ugly Fish Recordings.
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Ghetto
Leatherface Lyrics
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As the snow flies on a cold and gray Chicago morning
Poor little baby child is born in the ghetto
His mama cries for if there's one thing that she don't need
It's another hungry mouth to feed in the ghetto
And people don't you understand the child needs a helping hand
He's going to be an angry young man some day
Do we simply turn our heads and look the other way
Well the world turns and a hungry little boy with a runny nose
Plays in the street as the cold wind blows in the ghetto
And his hunger burns he starts to roam the street at night
He learns how to steal and he learns how to fight in the ghetto
Then one night in desperation the young man breaks away
He buys a gun steals a car he tries to run
But he won't get far and his mama cries
As the crowd gathers round the angry young man
Face down in the street with a gun in his hand in the ghetto
As her young man dies on a cold and grey Chicago morning
Poor little baby child is born in the ghetto and his mama cries
The song "Ghetto" by Leatherface is a cover of the original song by Elvis Presley. The lyrics describe the harsh and hopeless reality of impoverished neighborhoods, where a baby is born into poverty and struggles to survive. The mother is overwhelmed, as there is already not enough to eat, and now another mouth to feed is born into the ghetto. As the child grows up, people overlook and ignore his needs: he needs a helping hand, but nobody seems to care or provide one.
The song continues to paint the picture of the child's life, as he becomes a young man who learns to fend for himself on the streets. He gets involved in stealing and fighting to survive, until one night he decides to break away and start anew. In a desperate attempt to escape his circumstances, he buys a gun and attempts to steal a car. However, he fails and dies, leaving his mother to cry yet again for another life lost in the ghetto.
Line by Line Meaning
As the snow flies on a cold and gray Chicago morning
The opening line of the song sets the scene of a bleak and dreary environment, where the snow falls in a city known for its rough history of violence and poverty.
Poor little baby child is born in the ghetto
The birth of a baby in a neighborhood or area with a history of poverty and deprivation is a common occurrence but one that usually foretells a life of hardship and challenge.
His mama cries for if there's one thing that she don't need
The words describe the anguish of a mother who is weighing the options of bringing up her child in a deprived and harsh environment, dealing with limited resources, few opportunities, and no hope for a better future.
It's another hungry mouth to feed in the ghetto
This line tells the listener how challenging it is to raise a child without the proper resources or financial stability. Resources in this instance refer to both food and material goods.
And people don't you understand the child needs a helping hand
The line calls to attention the need for more public assistance and social safety nets so that children born into poor childhoods have more support in breaking the cycle of generational poverty prevalent in America.
He's going to be an angry young man some day
A young man raised in the ghetto may find himself feeling powerless, helpless, and unsupported which may turn him towards a path of aggression and anger to cope with these emotions.
Take a look at you and me are we too blind to see
This line is a rhetorical question directed at the listener to consider if they are also oblivious to the plight of those born into underprivileged circumstances. Are listeners blind to their own privilege?
Do we simply turn our heads and look the other way
The line asks, are people ignoring the abysmally low living standard of children living on the fringes, as if the kids don't matter or don't exist?
Well the world turns and a hungry little boy with a runny nose
The verse describes a world that carries on with or without solving the rampant social and economic issues that plague marginalized areas of the world. Hungry children living in the silence of those with power as they continue their lives, regardless of the external suffering.
Plays in the street as the cold wind blows in the ghetto
Children who grow up in the ghetto have no escape from the harsh realities of their surroundings, and innocent playtime can often be interrupted by the elements that add to their discomfort.
And his hunger burns he starts to roam the street at night
When a child doesn't have the necessary food to satisfy the hunger, their thoughts often take them to desperate measures and lead to them wandering at night in the search for sustenance.
He learns how to steal and he learns how to fight in the ghetto
Children who grow up in the absence of any formal support system may be prompted to adopt the principles of the street, and in some cases, they turn to thieving and violence.
Then one night in desperation the young man breaks away
This line indicates when the individual has had enough and takes drastic action, breaking away from their surroundings in search of a better life.
He buys a gun steals a car he tries to run
The individual's desperation can lead to dangerous behavior, illustrated by the acquisition of a weapon and a vehicle, to hopefully start their new life elsewhere.
But he won't get far and his mama cries
The young man's hopes will quickly be dashed due to the reality of the situation, a lack of support, and the cruelty of his surroundings caused him to take risky steps with bad consequences.
As the crowd gathers round the angry young man
When all his attempts fail, then the crowd gathers around him, not to help but rather to observe, to tease, to insult or confirm their assumptions of him.
Face down in the street with a gun in his hand in the ghetto
The tragic ending to a life attempting to escape a world of poverty, desperation and hopelessness, brought him back to the place where he was born - the ghetto, a cold and unforgiving place
As her young man dies on a cold and grey Chicago morning
The song ends with the perpetuation of the cycle of poverty in America. Where children born in the ghetto have a lifetime of struggle ahead of them, and if they reach young adulthood, the high likelihood of continued hardships, and in unfortunate cases a life cut short due to the eminent danger surrounding them.
Poor little baby child is born in the ghetto and his mama cries
The final line of the song brings the listener back to the unending cycle of children being born into neighborhoods plagued with poverty and inescapable cycles of socio-economic struggles that have plagued the United States for generations.
Contributed by Xavier O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.