When Detroit Was Burning
There was a fire in the sky over Gratiot
You could see it all the way from Springwells
Standing on the front lawn in the blackness
Holding fast to mama's knees
The whole block on the street
When Detroit was burning
Dad said this had been coming for sometime
The black guys on the line had told him so
The city of the ghettoes burned on fire
There was nothing on the news
But all the neighbors knew
When Detroit was burning
When Detroit was burning, burning down
When Detroit was burning, burning down
There were no kids in the park on Saturday
The Guardsmen set up tents under the swings
They drove their jeeps around Vernor Highway
Then they'd go downtown at night
And shoot everything in sight
When Detroit was burning
I was just a little girl playing with my friends
I didn't know what it meant to live in a black kid's skin
I'm older now and there's still so much I don't understand
The farmer's market's thriving down on Gratiot
But there's fire in the night around Springwells
Detroit wasn't reborn from the ashes
It's been nearly thirty years
And hate's still living here
Where Detroit was burning
When Detroit was burning, burning down
When Detroit was burning, burning down
Our hometown burning down
Quando Detroit Estava Pegando Fogo
Havia um fogo no céu sobre Gratiot
Dava pra ver de Springwells
Em pé no gramado na escuridão
Segurando firme os joelhos da mamãe
O quarteirão todo na rua
Quando Detroit estava pegando fogo
Papai disse que isso já vinha acontecendo há um tempo
Os caras negros na linha tinham avisado ele
A cidade das favelas queimava em chamas
Não havia nada no noticiário
Mas todos os vizinhos sabiam
Quando Detroit estava pegando fogo
Quando Detroit estava pegando fogo, pegando fogo
Quando Detroit estava pegando fogo, pegando fogo
Não havia crianças no parque no sábado
Os guardas montaram barracas debaixo dos balanços
Eles dirigiam seus jipes pela Vernor Highway
Depois iam pro centro à noite
E atiravam em tudo que viam
Quando Detroit estava pegando fogo
Eu era apenas uma garotinha brincando com meus amigos
Não sabia o que significava viver na pele de uma criança negra
Agora sou mais velha e ainda há tanto que não entendo
O mercado do fazendeiro está bombando lá em Gratiot
Mas há fogo na noite ao redor de Springwells
Detroit não renasceu das cinzas
Já se passaram quase trinta anos
E o ódio ainda vive aqui
Onde Detroit estava pegando fogo
Quando Detroit estava pegando fogo, pegando fogo
Quando Detroit estava pegando fogo, pegando fogo
Nossa cidade natal pegando fogo