Hometown
MC L.E. Lyrics

I was eight years old and running with a dime in my hand
At the age of eight, I ran to the bus stop with a dime in my hand to buy a newspaper for my father

Into the bus stop to pick up a paper for my old man
I would go to the bus stop to buy a newspaper for my dad

I'd sit on his lap in that big old Buick and steer as we drove through town
My dad would let me sit on his lap and steer his big old Buick as we drove through town

He'd tousle my hair and say son take a good look around
My dad would ruffle my hair and tell me to look around and appreciate our hometown

This is your hometown
He would say this every time we drove around town, making sure I knew where I came from

In '65 tension was running high at my high school
In 1965, there was a lot of tension in my high school

There was a lot of fights between the black and white
There were frequent conflicts between the black and white students

There was nothing you could do
The situation was beyond anyone's control

Two cars at a light on a Saturday night in the back seat there was a gun
Two cars stopped at a red light on a Saturday night, and in one car there was a gun in the back seat

Words were passed in a shotgun blast
There was a verbal confrontation that ended in gunfire

Troubled times had come
The town was going through a difficult period

To my hometown
The troubles had affected my hometown

Now Main Street's whitewashed windows and vacant stores
The windows on Main Street are painted white, and many stores are empty

Seems like there ain't nobody wants to come down here no more
It appears that nobody wants to visit our town anymore

They're closing down the textile mill across the railroad tracks
The textile mill on the other side of the railroad tracks is shutting down

Foreman says these jobs are going boys and they ain't coming back
The foreman informed us that these jobs are gone and won't be returning

To your hometown
This loss of jobs is happening in your hometown

Last night me and Kate we laid in bed
Last night, my wife Kate and I were in bed

Talking about getting out
We discussed leaving our hometown

Packing up our bags maybe heading south
We considered packing our bags and moving to the south

I'm thirty five we got a boy of our own now
I am now thirty-five years old, and my wife and I have a son

Last night I sat him up behind the wheel and said son take a good look around
Last night, I sat my son behind the wheel of a car and told him to appreciate our hometown

This is your hometown
I said this to my son, reminding him where he comes from