The Community Of Hope
PJ Harvey Lyrics

Here's the hope six demolition project
PJ Harvey is pointing out the Hope VI project, which is aimed at revitalizing certain urban areas by demolishing existing public housing and replacing it with mixed-income housing.

Stretching down to Benning Road
The area being redeveloped under the Hope VI project extends all the way to Benning Road.

A well-known "pathway of death"
The area around Benning Road has been associated with violent crime and earned the nickname "pathway of death".

At least that's what I'm told
PJ Harvey didn't come up with the nickname herself, but has heard it used to describe the area.

And here's the one sit-down restaurant
PJ Harvey is highlighting the lack of dining options in Ward seven, an urban area in Washington D.C. where the Hope VI project is taking place.

In Ward seven, nice
The sit-down restaurant in Ward seven is noteworthy because it's one of the few nicer establishments in the area.

Okay, now this is just Drug-Town, just zombies
PJ Harvey is describing the area around the sit-down restaurant as a place overrun by drug users and addicts.

But that's just life
PJ Harvey is acknowledging that urban poverty and social problems are an unfortunate reality of life for some people.

Here's the highway to death and destruction
PJ Harvey is pointing out the dangers of South Capitol Street, a major thoroughfare in Washington D.C. that has seen many traffic fatalities.

South capitol is its name
PJ Harvey is using the actual name of the highway to emphasize the point she's making about its dangers.

And the school just looks like shit-hole
PJ Harvey is criticizing the run-down appearance of a school in the area, likely indicating that it is underfunded and lacking proper resources and support.

Does that look like a nice place?
PJ Harvey is asking rhetorically if anyone would actually consider the school to be in good condition or an ideal learning environment.

Here's the old mental institution
PJ Harvey is drawing attention to a former mental health care facility in the area.

Now the homeland security base
PJ Harvey notes that the mental institution has been repurposed as a facility for the Department of Homeland Security.

And here's god's deliverance center
PJ Harvey is being sarcastic, referring to a deli named after civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. as a religious center.

A deli called M.L.K
PJ Harvey is using the actual name of the deli for emphasis and also to point out how it exploits the legacy of MLK Jr.

They're gonna put a Walmart here
PJ Harvey is criticizing the idea that a Walmart store would somehow improve the lives of people in the area.

They're gonna put a Walmart here
PJ Harvey is repeating the line to emphasize how misguided the decision to build a Walmart in the community is in her opinion.

They're gonna put a Walmart here
PJ Harvey is stressing the point that a Walmart store is not a solution to the underlying social problems in the area.

They're gonna put a Walmart here
PJ Harvey is suggesting that the decision to build a Walmart in the community is ill-conceived and won't actually benefit the people living there.

They're gonna put a Walmart here
PJ Harvey is implying that the Walmart corporation is only interested in profits and doesn't truly care about the well-being of the community.

They're gonna put a Walmart here
PJ Harvey is expressing frustration at the lack of serious efforts to address the social problems in the area and instead relying on a superficial solution like a Walmart store.

They're gonna put a Walmart here
PJ Harvey is underscoring the point that the addition of a Walmart store is not going to fundamentally improve the lives of people in the community.

They're gonna put a Walmart here
PJ Harvey is warning that building a Walmart in the community could have unintended negative consequences, such as putting smaller local businesses out of operation.