~Stevie Wonder~
Living for the city
Verse 2
His father works some days for fourteen hoursAnd you can bet, he barely makes a dollarHis mother goes to scrub the floors for manyAnd you'd best believe, she hardly gets a pennyLiving just enough, just enough for the city (Yeah)
Verse 1
A boy is born in hard time MississippiSurrounded by four walls that ain't so prettyHis parents give him love and affectionTo keep him strong, moving in the right directionLiving just enough, just enough for the city
Verse 4
Her brother's smart, he's got more sense than manyHis patience's long, but soon he won't have anyTo find a job is like a haystack needle'Cause where he lives they don't use colored peopleLiving just enough, just enough for the city (Yeah)
Verse 3
His sister's black, but she is sho 'nuff prettyHer skirt is short, but Lord her legs are sturdyTo walk to school, she's got to get up earlyHer clothes are old, but never are they dirtyLiving just enough, just enough for the city
“He's almost dead from breathing in air pollutionHe tried to vote but to him there's no solution
Bus for New York City!Hey, bus driver! I'm getting on there, hold it. Thanks a lot. Wow, New York, just like I pictured it. Skyscrapers and everything. Hey, hey brother, hey come here slick. (Huh?)Hey you look, you look hip man. Hey, you wanna make yourself five bucks man? (Yeah)You look hip, run this across the street for me right quick. Okay, run this across the street for me. What? Huh? I didn't know! What?Gimme your hands up you punk!I'm just going across the street. Put that leg up, shut your mouth. Hell no, what did I do?Okay, turn around, turn around. Put your hands behind your back, let's go, let's go. A jury of your peers having found you guilty, ten years. What?Come on, come on, get in that cell, nigger. God, Lord.
Verse 6
I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrowAnd that it motivates you to make a better tomorrowThis place is cruel, nowhere could be much colderIf we don't change, the world will soon be overLiving just enough, stop giving just enough for the city
Young activists
US labor market
Civil Rights Mouvement
Political and Social context
