Ronan Patrick John Keating, in Gaeilge (Irish Gaelic): Rónán Pádraig Seán M… Read Full Bio ↴Ronan Patrick John Keating, in Gaeilge (Irish Gaelic): Rónán Pádraig Seán Mac Céitinn. Was born in 3 March 1977 in Swords, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. He is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and resulted in 9 studio albums. Keating gained worldwide attention when his single "When You Say Nothing at All" was featured in the film Notting Hill and peaked at number one in several countries. As a solo artist, Keating has sold over 22 million records worldwide.

Along with Boyzone, Keating has sold over 40 million records worldwide, and in Australia he is best known as a judge on The X Factor. Keating has worked as a charity campaigner most notably for the Marie Keating Foundation, a foundation that raises awareness for breast cancer. It is named after his mother, who died of the disease. Ronan Keatings fortune is around £12 million pounds.

In The Ghetto
Ronan Keating Lyrics

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As the snow flies
On a cold and grey Chicago morn
A poor little baby child is born in the ghetto

And his mama cries
Cause there's one thing that she don't need
Is another little hungry mouth to feed in the ghetto

Oh people don't you understand
This child needs a helping hand
He's gonna grow to be an angry young man some day
Take a look at you and me
Are we that blind to see?
Do we simply turn our heads and look the other way?

And the world turns
And the hungry little boy with the runny nose
Plays in the streets as the cold wind blows in the ghetto
And his hunger burns
So he starts to roam the streets at night
And 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 and steals a car
He tries to run but he don't get far
And his mama cries
A crowd gathers round an angry young man
Face down in the street with a gun in his hand in the ghetto

Oh people don't you understand
This child needs a helping hand
He's gonna grow to be an angry young man some day
Take a look at you and me
Are we that blind to see?
Do we simply turn our heads and look the other way?

And as her young man dies

On a cold and grey Chicago morn
Another little baby child is born in the ghetto

Overall Meaning

The song "In The Ghetto" by Ronan Keating tells a story of a poor child who is born into a tough situation in Chicago's ghetto. The song describes the harsh realities of growing up in poverty, where the child's mother struggles to provide for him, and the child himself is forced to learn how to survive on the streets. As he grows older, the child becomes an angry young man, who turns to crime and ultimately meets an untimely end, leaving behind another newborn child to endure the same struggles he did. The lyrics suggest that the cycle of poverty and violence in the ghetto can only be broken if people look past their own blindness and extend a helping hand.

Through the lyrics, the song notes the helplessness of the child's mother, who is crying at the baby's birth because she knows that she cannot provide for another mouth to feed. The lyrics also point out the lack of support, the indifference, and the neglect of the people around the child, who fail to give him the necessary aid and attention. The song highlights how the child's environment, where he is exposed to violence, hunger, and desperation, shapes his life choices and ultimately leads him to a tragic end.

Line by Line Meaning

As the snow flies
In the winter season when snow is falling from the sky

On a cold and grey Chicago morn
In Chicago, USA, during a chilly morning with gloomy weather

A poor little baby child is born in the ghetto
A child is born into a poor neighborhood with less income in Chicago

And his mama cries
The mother of the child sheds tears

Cause there's one thing that she don't need
She doesn't need another hungry mouth to feed in her impoverished community

Is another little hungry mouth to feed in the ghetto
She can't afford to feed another mouth in her low-income area

Oh people don't you understand
People, do you not comprehend?

This child needs a helping hand
The child requires assistance and aid

He's gonna grow to be an angry young man some day
If not helped, he will become a frustrated youth in the future

Take a look at you and me
Reflect upon yourself and me

Are we that blind to see?
Are we so unperceptive not to recognize the plight of the impoverished?

Do we simply turn our heads and look the other way?
Do we merely ignore the situation and pretend it isn't happening?

And the world turns
Time moves forward

And the hungry little boy with the runny nose
The malnourished boy with a cold and sniffly nose

Plays in the streets as the cold wind blows in the ghetto
The child plays outside while the chilling breeze blows

And his hunger burns
The boy's intense hunger pains him

So he starts to roam the streets at night
He wanders around the streets at night

And he learns how to steal and he learns how to fight in the ghetto
He discovers how to commit petty theft and how to engage in physical conflicts with others in his poverty-stricken neighborhood

Then one night in desperation
One night, in a state of hopelessness

The young man breaks away
The boy leaves his current situation

He buys a gun and steals a car
He purchases a firearm and steals a vehicle

He tries to run but he don't get far
He makes an attempt to escape, but he's unsuccessful

And his mama cries
His mother cries once again

A crowd gathers round an angry young man
A crowd surrounds the upset youngster

Face down in the street with a gun in his hand in the ghetto
Lying prone in the road with a firearm in hand in the impoverished community

And as her young man dies
As her son passes away

On a cold and grey Chicago morn
During a murky morning of low temperature in Chicago

Another little baby child is born in the ghetto
Another infant is born into poverty-stricken conditions

Contributed by Peyton G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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