Lay down your burdens
Lay down your cares
The Holy Virgin, she's gonna greet you up there
With a big can of spray paint, yeah
And a big blank wall
And I can guaran-damn-tee you
There ain't no cops around at all
Graffiti Limbo
Where do you go?
Graffiti Limbo
When there ain't no justice
I only speak for myself
But the word around town
Is that something's shaking, yeah
In the underground
I only speak for myself
But the word on the street
Is that the writing's on the wall, yeah
And the cop's on the beat
Graffiti Limbo
Where do you go?
Graffiti Limbo
When there ain't no justice
[spoken] Now, I wrote this song for Michael Stewart. Michael Stewart was a young black graffiti artist who was arrested while writing graffiti on a subway wall in New York City. While under arrest, in the presence of eleven white transit cops, Michael Stewart was strangled to death. When his case was heard by the Grand Jury, you know, not one cop was found guilty. The coroner had lost the evidence and those cops are on the streets again.
Ah, you can have your little style wars, boys
Yes, and you can keep your little dance
But those crazy writers they don't stand a ghost of a chance
No, it's 'Colar them cons'
That's what Mayor Koch said
He said, 'Call it a crime'
And now it's steer clear of the engineer on that Midnight Special Line
Graffiti Limbo
Where do you go?
Graffiti Limbo
When there ain't no justice
Graffiti Limbo
Where do you go?
Graffiti Limbo
When there ain't no justice
Ohhhh...
Lay down your cares
The Holy Virgin, she's gonna greet you up there
With a big can of spray paint, yeah
And a big blank wall
And I can guaran-damn-tee you
There ain't no cops around at all
Graffiti Limbo
Where do you go?
Graffiti Limbo
When there ain't no justice
I only speak for myself
But the word around town
Is that something's shaking, yeah
In the underground
I only speak for myself
But the word on the street
Is that the writing's on the wall, yeah
And the cop's on the beat
Graffiti Limbo
Where do you go?
Graffiti Limbo
When there ain't no justice
[spoken] Now, I wrote this song for Michael Stewart. Michael Stewart was a young black graffiti artist who was arrested while writing graffiti on a subway wall in New York City. While under arrest, in the presence of eleven white transit cops, Michael Stewart was strangled to death. When his case was heard by the Grand Jury, you know, not one cop was found guilty. The coroner had lost the evidence and those cops are on the streets again.
Ah, you can have your little style wars, boys
Yes, and you can keep your little dance
But those crazy writers they don't stand a ghost of a chance
No, it's 'Colar them cons'
That's what Mayor Koch said
He said, 'Call it a crime'
And now it's steer clear of the engineer on that Midnight Special Line
Graffiti Limbo
Where do you go?
Graffiti Limbo
When there ain't no justice
Graffiti Limbo
Where do you go?
Graffiti Limbo
When there ain't no justice
Ohhhh...
Contributed by Alessandro - 2009/6/10 - 12:05
L'artista newyorkese di origini haitiano-portoricane Jean-Michel Basquiat dedicò all'assassinio di Michael Stewart il suo acrilico e pennarelli su legno
Alessandro - 2009/6/10 - 13:16
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Album “Short Sharp Shocked”
Il 15 settembre 1983, alla fermata della metro fra la First Avenue e la 14th Street, a New York, la polizia arrestò un afro-americano, Michael Stewart di 25 anni, perchè stava disegnando dei graffiti a spray. Il giovane graffitaro, caduto nelle mani della polizia, morì dopo 13 giorni di coma, ufficialmente per arresto cardiaco.
Due anni più tardi, gli agenti John Kostick, Anthony Piscola ed Henry Boerner, responsabili dell’arresto e dell’omicidio di Michael Stewart, furono assolti. La giuria che espresse il verdetto era composta da soli bianchi.
Nel 1990, la polizia di New York risarcì la famiglia Stewart con 1.7 milioni di dollari.
(fonte: en.wikipedia)