Avenues And Alleyways
Tony Christie Lyrics
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My little lady
Dream tell the sunrise
Creeps into your eyes, dream tell the sunrise turns on the day
In the avenues and alleyways
While you sleep there's a whole world comin alive
Abel and his brother fight with one another
The avenues and alleyways
Where the strong and the quick alone can survive
Look around the jungle
See the rough and tumble
Listen to a squealer cry
Then a little later in the morning paper
Read about the way he died
Wake up my pretty
Go to the city
Stay through the daytime
Safe in the sunshine
Stay till the daytime turns into night
In the avenues and alleyways
Where a man's gotta work out which side he's on
Anyway he chooses
Chances are he looses
No one gets to live too long
The avenues and alleyways
Where the soul of a man is easy to buy
Everybody's wheelin'
Everybody's dealin'
All the low and living hyde
Every city's got 'em can we ever stop em
Some of us
Have gotta try
"Avenues and Alleyways" is a song by Tony Christie, originally released in 1973. It is a song about the darker side of life in a city, where people fight for survival in the alleys and streets. The opening lines suggest a peaceful image of a woman sleeping, but a few lines later the mood shifts as the song talks about the rough and dangerous world that comes alive in the alleys and streets.
The song focuses on the struggle for survival in the city's underworld, where people fight and die for power and control. The lyrics describe the harsh reality of this world, where the strong and the quick alone can survive. The verses also touch upon themes such as betrayal, loyalty, and the exploitation of the weak by the strong.
The chorus of the song talks about the inevitability of death, no matter which side a person chooses to be on. In this world, everyone is ultimately a victim of the alleys and avenues. However, the song ends on a hopeful note as it urges people to try to put a stop to the violence and exploitation.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleep like a baby
Sleep soundly without a care in the world.
My little lady
Addressing his significant other.
Dream tell the sunrise
The dreams one has before waking up.
Creeps into your eyes
The sunrise slowly illuminating the sky.
Dream tell the sunrise turns on the day
The start of a new day.
In the avenues and alleyways
The rough hangouts where the less reputable citizens reside.
While you sleep there's a whole world comin alive
Illegal activity happening during the night.
Abel and his brother fight with one another
Violent altercations arise.
In and out of every dive
People going in and out of dingy bars.
Where the strong and the quick alone can survive
It is a dangerous and cutthroat environment.
Look around the jungle
This kind of place is like a survival of the fittest jungle.
See the rough and tumble
Fights and violence are common in these streets.
Listen to a squealer cry
Those who are afraid, cry out for help or report crimes will be punished.
Then a little later in the morning paper
News of violent acts is published in the news.
Read about the way he died
Reports of violent deaths caused by the 'jungle law' of these areas.
Wake up my pretty
Waking up his significant other.
Go to the city
Head into the metropolitan area.
Stay through the daytime
Stay there for the day.
Safe in the sunshine
It is safe during the day.
Stay till the daytime turns into night
It is not safe to be here during the night.
Where a man's gotta work out which side he's on
You must choose whom you want to align with.
Anyway he chooses
Regardless of the choice made.
Chances are he looses
There are very few winning choices.
No one gets to live too long
The life expectancy is not long in this area.
Where the soul of a man is easy to buy
A place where someone can easily sell their soul.
Everybody's wheelin'
People are wheeling and dealing.
Everybody's dealin'
People are buying and selling illegal goods.
All the low and living hyde
The people who thrive in these areas are of a certain type.
Every city's got 'em can we ever stop em
The reality of this kind of area applies to every city.
Some of us Have gotta try
People need to try to stop these kinds of areas from existing.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MITCH MURRAY, PETER CALLANDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vince James
Sleep like a baby
My little lady
Dream tell the sunrise
Creeps into your eyes, dream tell the sunrise turns on the day
In the avenues and alleyways
While you sleep there's a whole world comin alive
Abel and his brother fight with one another
In and out of every dive
The avenues and alleyways
Where the strong and the quick alone can survive
Look around the jungle
See the rough and tumble
Listen to a squealer cry
Then a little later in the morning paper
Read about the way he died
Wake up my pretty
Go to the city
Stay through the daytime
Safe in the sunshine
Stay till the daytime turns into night
In the avenues and alleyways
Where a man's gotta work out which side he's on
Anyway he chooses
Chances are he looses
No one gets to live too long
The avenues and alleyways
Where the soul of a man is easy to buy
Everybody's wheelin'
Everybody's dealin'
All the low and living hyde
Every city's got 'em can we ever stop em
Some of us
Have gotta try
anthony inger
This record is not shite. It's a great record, and Tony Christie has got a great voice.
Liz Freel
In my opinion this is his best song and las vegas was also brilliant he had such a great voice and could sing any song
cucmber face
Misael Eugene Nobody in their right mind cares
karlydoc
@cucmber face "Everybody's wheeling everybody's stealing all the low are living high"
Richard James
TOTALLY !
Christian Overal
FABULOUS! No one rivals Tony Christie's amazing & incredibly powerful voice...he's a SUPERSTAR!
Robert Geisler
I've love listening to this song and Tony Christie ever since I caught an episode of the protectors with Robert Vaughn. Attorney Christy's voice is timeless, and this song is epic.
Laceykat
Not only a great song but a great homage to the detective shows of Britain in the 60s and 70s. They should do an update of this with all the great shows of this century.
Marc Templer
''Able and his Brother..." what a great lyric. THE signature Christie song. From the time when people knew how to be cool...
John Winsor
Phenomenal voice, deserved greater world wide recognition.