In The Ghetto

(Mac Davis)






Version 1          Version 2          Version 3   



As the snow flies, on a cold and grey Chicago morn
And a poor little baby child is born
In the ghetto
And his mama cries
'Cause if there's one thing that she don't need
It's another hungry mouth to feed
In the ghetto


People, don't you understand
The child needs a helping hand
Or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day
Take a look at you and me,
Are we too blind to see,
Do we simply turn our heads and look the other way
Well the world turns
And a hungry little boy with a runny nose
Plays in the street 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, steals a car, tries to run,
But he don't get far
And his mama cries


As a crowd gathers round an angry young man
Face down in the street with a gun in his hand
In the ghetto
And as her young man dies,
On a cold and grey Chicago morn
And another little baby child is born
In the ghetto
And his mama cries
In the ghetto
In the ghetto

In The Ghetto
-------------

Standard tuning.

Intro:
e||---------------------------|---------------------------||
B||--------2--2h3--2h3--3--2--|--------2--2h3--2h3--2----*||
G||--------2--2-2--2-2--2--2--|--------2--2-2--2-2--2-----||
D||-----2-----2h4--2h4--4--2--|-----2-----2h4--2h4--2-----||
A||--0------------------------|--0-----------------------*||
E||---------------------------|---------------------------||

h=hammer on
           A
    As the snow flies
         C#m
    On a cold and gray Chicago mornin'
      D                E
    A poor little baby child is born
           A
    In the ghetto
            A
    And his mama cries
              C#m
    'cause if there's one thing that she don't need
         D              E
    it's another hungry mouth to feed
            A
    In the ghetto

                      E
    People, don't you understand
                      D       A
    the child needs a helping hand
       D                   E                    A
    or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day
                   E
    Take a look at you and me,
               D        A
    are we too blind to see,
       D            C#m
    Or do we simply turn our heads
        Bm             E
    and look the other way

    Well the world turns
    and a hungry little boy with a runny nose
    plays in the street 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

        E
    And then one night in desperation
      D                A
    a young man breaks away
       D           C#m
    He buys a gun, steals a car,
    Bm                   E
    tries to run, but he don't get far
            A
    And his mama cries

         C#m
    As a crowd gathers 'round an angry young man
         D                         E
    face down on the street with a gun in his hand
           A
    In the ghetto

    As her young man dies,
    on a cold and gray Chicago mornin',
    another little baby child is born
    In the ghetto