This is their house, these are their souls.
The Horton neighborhood, a series of black holes.
There are no children here.
Rough times, little income,
Take a look around, father is a leeching bum.
One way in, no way out,
Even an anteater has more luck using its snout.
There are no children here.
Family of nine, mama says everything will be just fine.
Public aid, food stamps, Horton has broken street lamps.
There are no children here.
High school dropout, now in a gang.
Shots ring out BANG BANG BANG!
Funerals are a norm, Horton has an infinite storm.
There are no children here.
Who is out there? Who really cares?
Mama can’t even afford the city bus fares.
There the Vice Lords are with their tide, mama makes us crouch and hide.
There are no children here.
No more hope, where is all the ambition?
People find crime their new mission.
“I lost my kids to the neighborhood.”
It’s as fast as fire dancing on wood.
There are no children here.
Mama and papa getting a divorce.
I wish they would stay together, I feel only remorse.
Snitches ruin mama’s monthly course.
There are no children here.
Moldy bread, rotting meat,
To escape from this hell just on my feet
Spelling I-I-I like
Makes me wa-wa-wa-want to do good for mama.
I’m too young to understand.
I’m too young to understand.
I’m too young to understand.
There are no children here.
No income, mama plays cards
The Jack
The Queen
The King
The Ace
She has dried canyon rivers on her olden face.
$32.00 here or maybe $87.00 there
With nine in our family, it will hardly get us anywhere.
Scouting is what we do now.
Find a diner and make a plan of how.
Screwdriver the video game machine.
Prison makes you muscular not lean.
There are no children here.
Fourteen and pregnant is what we see.
But people elsewhere think that we are free.
No freedom from the projects, no freedom from gangs,
No freedom from worrying, no freedom to be a child,
No freedom of a normal life, no freedom from violence,
No freedom even in prison.
Horton delivers 12 year old men there.
Mama did her best.
LaShawn did her best.
Paul did his best.
Terrence did his best.
Lafeyette did his best.
Pharaoh did his best.
The triplets did their best.
Prostitution, heroin, cocaine, weed, speed, guns, knives, poverty
Equals a cocktail for inner city folk.
This is our house, these are our souls,
The Horton neighborhood, a series of black holes.
There are no children here.