Crime In The City

Neil Young

 
Well the cop made the show-down 
He was sure he was right 
He had all of the low-down
From the bank-heist last night
 
His best friend was the robber,
And his wife was a thief
All his children were killers, 
He couldn't get no relief 
 
The bungalow was surrounded 
When a voice loud and clear 
Said "Come on out with your hands up 
Or we'll blow you out of here"
 
There was a face in the window 
The t.v. cameras rolled
Then they cut to the announcer, 
And the story was told 
 
 
The artist looked at the producer
the producer sat back
He said "what we have got here
is a perfect track
 
But we don't have a vocal
and we don't have a song
If we could get these things accomplished
nothing else could go wrong"
 
So he balanced the ashtray
as he picked up the phone
And said "send me a songwriter
who's drifted far from home
 
And make sure that he's hungry
and make sure he's alone
Send me a cheeseburger
and a new 'rolling stone'"
Yeah
 
 
"There's still crime in the city",
said the cop on the beat
"I don't know if i can stop it,
I feel like meat on the street"
 
They paint my car like a target
I take my orders from fools
Meanwhile some kid blows my head off
well I play by their rules
 
That's why I'm doin' it my way
I took the law in my own hand
So here i am in the alleyway
a wad of cash in my pants
 
I get paid by a ten year old
he says he looks up to me
There's still crime in the city
but it's good to be free
Yeah
 
 
Sometimes I talk to daddy
on the telephone
 
When he says that he loves me
I know that he does
But I wish I could see him
I wish I knew where he was
 
But that's the way all my friends are
except maybe one or two
Wish I could see him this weekend
wish I could walk in his shoes
 
But now I'm doing my own thing
sometimes I'm good then I'm bad
Although my home has been broken
it's the best home I ever had
Yeah
 
 
Well I keep getting younger
my life's been funny that way
Before I ever learned to
talk I forgot what to say
 
I sassed back to my mom
I sassed back at my teacher
I got thrown out of bible school
for sassing back at the preacher
 
put every fire in town
Put out anything smokin'
but when I put the hose down
 
The judge sent me to prison
gave me life without parole
Wish I never put the hose
down wish I never got old