Lyrics

Hard Times in Cincinnati

Come you ladies and you gentlemen and listen to my song
I’ll sing it to you right but you might think it’s wrong
Just a little story ‘bout a Midwest town
Where what goes up comes right back down

Chorus:
And it’s hard times in the city
Cincinnati town

Cincinnati town is like any other place
Liberty run right smack into Race
Race run right through the middle of town
A road everybody needs to go down

Rich folks sit high up on the hills
Counting their cars and dollar bills
They come downtown for a baseball game
Then run right back from where they came

Way downtown there’s Fountain Square
Got something to say, then say it down there
Everybody goes there talking ‘bout a mission
Everybody talking; don’t nobody listen

Police, mighty mean and tough
Keep the law quite fair and just
If you’re in town, you’ll be allright
Just make sure your skin looks white

Black boy shot dead from behind
White cop said, “I feared for my life,
Seen him reach with a mean black arm”
Report come out: black boy unarmed

Black folks gather in Over the Rhine
Mad as hell, you can see it in their eyes
White folks gather in City Hall
Don’t see nothing, nothing at all

Riot broke out and it broke real quick
Listen to my fire, listen to my brick
Ya’ll want peace? Well, we got news
Ain’t no peace in a black man’s shoes

Now ladies and gentlemen, I’m done with my song
I sung it to you right, but you might thought it wrong
Just a little story ‘bout a Midwest town
Where what goes up comes right back down