Jackson Browne - Lawless Avenues Lyrics
Papa hit him, mama kissed himMade him go to catechismWith the sisters in their black and whiteAnd all the time those city streetsWere teaching him another kind of wisdomWhen to run and when to fightUp at the playground after schoolListening to tales of the prison systemAnd those lawless avenuesDawn on a half darkened streetA childs footsteps repeatAnd something there turns themDown those lawless avenuesSilent joe went down so badHe was the strongest fighter the avenues hadStabbed in the chest--he went down swingingSomeone from some other part of townNo one even seen it coming downAnd you dont hear no church bells ringingAnd in the violent night the police lightSweeps across the lots and the yardsFollowing those lawless avenuesDown on a half darkened streetArmies advance and retreatAnd struggle to take controlFrom those lawless avenuesManuelitos sister rosaRan away with a surfer from hermosaManuelito, cuida a rosa,Hay mira como estan las cosas!(manuelito take care of rosa--look at how things are)But who could blame her after she sawEvery boy die who could have gotten close to herRosa es joven u solo quiereVer la belleza del mundo(rosa is young and only wantsTo see the beauty of the world)Manuel said--You gotta fight for what you want in this lifeJust before they shipped him overseas to namOtra guerra sin razonOtra guerra sin fin, sin honor(another war without reason,Another war without end, without honor)And she was fighting to understandWhen they shipped manuelitos body homeAll she heard was one more shotEchoing down lawless avenuesHoy amigo, tal igual como ayer,La lucha en el barrio no cambiaNuestros hijos son los que han de crecerPor ley de la calle, viviendo entre abrazosY chingazos(today my friend, just like yesterday,The struggle in the barrio doesnt change.Our children are the ones to grow upBy the law of the streetLiving between hugs and blows)Down on a half darkened streetFathers and sons lives repeatAnd something there turns themDown those lawless avenuesEn el calor de la calle(in the heat of the street)Buscan valor en la calle(looking for valor in the street)Hasta final de la calle(till the end of the street)
