Oh, the motor city's burnin'
It ain't no thing in the world that I can do
Don't ya know
Don't ya know the big D is burnin'?
Ain't no thing in the world that Johnny can do
My home town burnin' down to the ground
Worser than Viet Nam
Well, it started on 12th and Clairmont, this mornin'
I just don't know what it's all about
Well, it started on 12th and Clairmont, this mornin'
I don't know what it's all about
The fire wagon kept comin'
The snipers just wouldn't let 'em put it out
Fire bomb bustin' all around me
An' soldiers was ev'rywhere
Well, fire bomb fallin' all around me
And soldiers standin' ev'rywhere
I could hear the people screaming
Sirens fill the air
I don't know what the trouble is
I can't stay around to find it out
I don't know, I don't know
What the trouble is, this mo'nin'
I just can't stay around to find it out
Takin' my wife an my family
And little Johnny Lee is clearin' out
The motor city's burnin'
Ain't a thing that I can do
Well, the motor city's burnin'
Ain't a thing that I can do
I just hope, people
It'll never happen to you
Yes, yes, I could hear the fireman
Said, “Look, get outta here
It's too hot.”
It ain't no thing in the world that I can do
Don't ya know
Don't ya know the big D is burnin'?
Ain't no thing in the world that Johnny can do
My home town burnin' down to the ground
Worser than Viet Nam
Well, it started on 12th and Clairmont, this mornin'
I just don't know what it's all about
Well, it started on 12th and Clairmont, this mornin'
I don't know what it's all about
The fire wagon kept comin'
The snipers just wouldn't let 'em put it out
Fire bomb bustin' all around me
An' soldiers was ev'rywhere
Well, fire bomb fallin' all around me
And soldiers standin' ev'rywhere
I could hear the people screaming
Sirens fill the air
I don't know what the trouble is
I can't stay around to find it out
I don't know, I don't know
What the trouble is, this mo'nin'
I just can't stay around to find it out
Takin' my wife an my family
And little Johnny Lee is clearin' out
The motor city's burnin'
Ain't a thing that I can do
Well, the motor city's burnin'
Ain't a thing that I can do
I just hope, people
It'll never happen to you
Yes, yes, I could hear the fireman
Said, “Look, get outta here
It's too hot.”
Contributed by Alessandro, Bernart Bartleby & co. - 2007/1/3 - 21:27
Language: French
Traduzione francese da l'histgeobox
DÉTROIT EST EN FLAMME
Détroit est en train de cramer, baby,
et rien de peut l'empêcher, les mecs,
Détroit est en train de cramer
et la société blanche ne peut l'éviter.
Ma ville est en train de brûler totalement
et c'est encore pire qu'au Vietnam
Laissez-moi vous dire comment ça a commencé...
cela a débuté au coin de la 12ème et de la rue Clairmont ce matin là.
C'était la panique chez les flics,
les voitures de pompiers continuaient d'arriver
mais les snipers des Black Panthers ne les laissaient pas éteindre les incendies.
Il y avait des bombes incendiaires éclatant un peu partout,
il y avait des soldats partout
il y avait des bombes incendiaires éclatant tout autour de moi,
il y avait la garde nationale partout.
J'entendais la population criait.
Les sirènes hurlait dans l'air
Les sirènes hurlait dans l'air
Les sirènes hurlait dans l'air
Ton père et ta mère ne comprennent pas l'origine du problème.
Ils ne saisissent pas ce qui se passe.
Ton père et ta mère n'y comprennent rien, baby,
ils ne peuvent pas voir ce qui se passe
Lis les nouvelles, lis les journaux, baby?
Tu as juste à sortir dans la rue pour les vérifier.
Détroit est en flamme
Je ne vais rien faire pour éteindre l'incendie
Je ne vais rien faire pour éteindre l'incendie
et bien, je pars avec ma femme, la populace et ???
Eh bien, juste avant de partir baby???
les pompiers dans la rue, des gens tout autour,
maintenant, je devine que c'est vrai,
je voudrais juste craquer une allumette pour les libertés
je suis peut-être un petit blanc, mais je peux être mauvais moi aussi.
oui, c'est devenu réalité, c'est devenu réalité.
Détroit est en train de cramer, baby,
et rien de peut l'empêcher, les mecs,
Détroit est en train de cramer
et la société blanche ne peut l'éviter.
Ma ville est en train de brûler totalement
et c'est encore pire qu'au Vietnam
Laissez-moi vous dire comment ça a commencé...
cela a débuté au coin de la 12ème et de la rue Clairmont ce matin là.
C'était la panique chez les flics,
les voitures de pompiers continuaient d'arriver
mais les snipers des Black Panthers ne les laissaient pas éteindre les incendies.
Il y avait des bombes incendiaires éclatant un peu partout,
il y avait des soldats partout
il y avait des bombes incendiaires éclatant tout autour de moi,
il y avait la garde nationale partout.
J'entendais la population criait.
Les sirènes hurlait dans l'air
Les sirènes hurlait dans l'air
Les sirènes hurlait dans l'air
Ton père et ta mère ne comprennent pas l'origine du problème.
Ils ne saisissent pas ce qui se passe.
Ton père et ta mère n'y comprennent rien, baby,
ils ne peuvent pas voir ce qui se passe
Lis les nouvelles, lis les journaux, baby?
Tu as juste à sortir dans la rue pour les vérifier.
Détroit est en flamme
Je ne vais rien faire pour éteindre l'incendie
Je ne vais rien faire pour éteindre l'incendie
et bien, je pars avec ma femme, la populace et ???
Eh bien, juste avant de partir baby???
les pompiers dans la rue, des gens tout autour,
maintenant, je devine que c'est vrai,
je voudrais juste craquer une allumette pour les libertés
je suis peut-être un petit blanc, mais je peux être mauvais moi aussi.
oui, c'est devenu réalité, c'est devenu réalité.
Contributed by Alessandro - 2009/12/2 - 22:03
Language: English
La versione degli MC5, nel disco "Kick Out the Jams" registrato live nell'ottobre del 1968.
MOTOR CITY IS BURNING
Ya know, the Motor City is burning babe,
there ain't a thing in the world that they can do.
Ya know, the Motor City is burning people,
there ain't a thing that white society can do.
Ma home town burning down to the ground,
worser than Vietnam.
Let me tell you how it started now ...
it started on 12th & Clairmount that morning.
It made the pig cops all jump & shout,
Ah said, it started on 12th & Clairmount that morning,
It made the pigs in the street freak out.
The fire wagons kept comin', baby,
but the black Panther snipers wouldn't let them put it out, wouldn't let them put it out, wouldn't let them put it out.
Well, there were fire bombs bursting all around, people, Ya know there were soldiers standing everywhere.
I said there was fire bombs bursting all around me, baby, Ya know there was National Guard everywhere.
Ah can hear my people screaming.
Sirens fill the air, fill the air, fill the air.
Your mama papa don't know what the trouble is ...
you see, they don't know what it's all about.
Ah said, your mama papa don't know what the trouble is, baby, they just can't see what it's all about.
Read the news, read the newspapers, baby?
You just get out there in the street and check it out!
Ah said, the Motor City is burning, people,
I ain't hanging round to fight it out.
Ah said, the Motor City is burning, people,
just not hang around to fight it out.
Well, I'm taking my wife and my people and ???
Well, just before I go, baby, ???? ,
firemans on the street, people all around,
Now, I guess it's true,
I'd just like to strike a match for freedom myself,
I may be a white boy, but I can be bad, too.
Yes, it's true now, yes, it's true now.
Let it all burn! Let it all burn!
Ya know, the Motor City is burning babe,
there ain't a thing in the world that they can do.
Ya know, the Motor City is burning people,
there ain't a thing that white society can do.
Ma home town burning down to the ground,
worser than Vietnam.
Let me tell you how it started now ...
it started on 12th & Clairmount that morning.
It made the pig cops all jump & shout,
Ah said, it started on 12th & Clairmount that morning,
It made the pigs in the street freak out.
The fire wagons kept comin', baby,
but the black Panther snipers wouldn't let them put it out, wouldn't let them put it out, wouldn't let them put it out.
Well, there were fire bombs bursting all around, people, Ya know there were soldiers standing everywhere.
I said there was fire bombs bursting all around me, baby, Ya know there was National Guard everywhere.
Ah can hear my people screaming.
Sirens fill the air, fill the air, fill the air.
Your mama papa don't know what the trouble is ...
you see, they don't know what it's all about.
Ah said, your mama papa don't know what the trouble is, baby, they just can't see what it's all about.
Read the news, read the newspapers, baby?
You just get out there in the street and check it out!
Ah said, the Motor City is burning, people,
I ain't hanging round to fight it out.
Ah said, the Motor City is burning, people,
just not hang around to fight it out.
Well, I'm taking my wife and my people and ???
Well, just before I go, baby, ???? ,
firemans on the street, people all around,
Now, I guess it's true,
I'd just like to strike a match for freedom myself,
I may be a white boy, but I can be bad, too.
Yes, it's true now, yes, it's true now.
Let it all burn! Let it all burn!
Contributed by Bernart Bartleby - 2014/12/16 - 10:28
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Note for non-Italian users: Sorry, though the interface of this website is translated into English, most commentaries and biographies are in Italian and/or in other languages like French, German, Spanish, Russian etc.
Scritta da Albert B. “Al” Smith, bassista e produttore discografico originario di Chicago
Interpretata da John Lee Hooker nell’album intitolato “Urban Blues”
Nella prima sessione di registrazione del brano c’era Buddy Guy che lo accompagnava.
Ripresa l’anno seguente dagli MC5 che dal vivo ne fecero una furiosa versione protopunk.
Un brano che parla della tristemente celebre "Detroit Insurrection" del 1967. Il 23 luglio di quell'anno, un manipolo di poliziotti tentò una retata ad un party dove si stava festeggiando il rientro di alcuni reduci dal Vietnam... L'intervento della polizia fu così violento da incontrare la risposta altrettanto violenta degli astanti. Ne seguì una vera e propria insurrezione popolare che quel testadiminkia del presidente Lyndon B. Johnson pensò bene di sedare facendo intervenire la Guardia Nazionale. Il bilancio fu spaventoso: 43 morti, 467 feriti, oltre 7200 arrestati e più di 2000 edifici bruciati...