In the Ghetto – Elvis Presley

Introduction

In the Ghetto is a powerful and poignant ballad written by Mac Davis and released as a single by Elvis Presley in 1969. The song’s lyrics paint a stark picture of life in the ghetto, highlighting the poverty, violence, and hopelessness that many people in these communities face. Presley’s heartfelt vocals and the song’s soulful arrangement brought the song to the forefront of the civil rights movement, and it quickly became an anthem for social justice.

The song opens with a description of a cold and gray Chicago morning, as a baby boy is born into poverty. The mother cries, overwhelmed by the burden of another mouth to feed, and the song’s narrator asks if people “can’t you understand” that this child needs a helping hand. The child grows up in the ghetto, surrounded by crime and despair, and the narrator warns that he will likely become an “angry young man” if he is not given a chance.

The song then shifts to a more hopeful tone, as the narrator urges people to “take a look at you and me” and ask if they are “too blind to see” the problems in their community. He pleads with them to “stop turning your heads and looking the other way,” and to take action to help those in need. The song concludes with the image of a “hungry little boy with a runny nose” playing in the street as the cold wind blows, and the narrator asks again, “In the ghetto, what does tomorrow hold for him?”

In the Ghetto was a major success for Presley, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1969. It has since been covered by numerous artists, and it remains a powerful and relevant song to this day. The song’s message of social justice and its exploration of the harsh realities of life in the ghetto continue to resonate with listeners of all ages.

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Lyrics

As the snow flies
On a cold and gray Chicago mornin’
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 on the street with a gun in his hand
In the ghetto

And as her young man dies,
On a cold and gray Chicago mornin’,
Another little baby child is born
In the ghetto

And his mama cries