The summer is hot, the nights are still cold
Here in Philadelphia, in the city of soul
And we can let our hair down when it gets hot above
'Cause nothin' ever happens in the city of love
But someone should tell 'em there's a fire in the sky
And someone should tell 'em this is still nineteen eighty-five
In nineteen eighty-five
Here in the city of love (it's so hot)
62’nd St. and it looks like Beirut
Like, like something you would see on the picture tube
You can watch it happen right in the cool of your front room
'Cause nothin' ever happens in the city of doom
Listen, let me tell ya that the fire's real in the sky (hey-hey)
Cop, understand this is still my nineteen eighty-five
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Children burn even when the nights are cold
Here in Philadelphia, the city of soul
We all let our hair down when it gets hot above
'Cause, nothin' ever happens in the city of love
But mister let me tell ya that a lot of people die
And cop, understand this is still my nineteen eighty-five
Sometimes you can't open your door
Sometimes you just can't make a move
The city is black but the fire is red
I've still got the sound of marching feet in my head
Some love it, most don't give a damn
But I've got the fire in my heart, sweatin' it out
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold...
Here in Philadelphia, in the city of soul
And we can let our hair down when it gets hot above
'Cause nothin' ever happens in the city of love
But someone should tell 'em there's a fire in the sky
And someone should tell 'em this is still nineteen eighty-five
In nineteen eighty-five
Here in the city of love (it's so hot)
62’nd St. and it looks like Beirut
Like, like something you would see on the picture tube
You can watch it happen right in the cool of your front room
'Cause nothin' ever happens in the city of doom
Listen, let me tell ya that the fire's real in the sky (hey-hey)
Cop, understand this is still my nineteen eighty-five
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Children burn even when the nights are cold
Here in Philadelphia, the city of soul
We all let our hair down when it gets hot above
'Cause, nothin' ever happens in the city of love
But mister let me tell ya that a lot of people die
And cop, understand this is still my nineteen eighty-five
Sometimes you can't open your door
Sometimes you just can't make a move
The city is black but the fire is red
I've still got the sound of marching feet in my head
Some love it, most don't give a damn
But I've got the fire in my heart, sweatin' it out
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold
Can't hide in the city of soul (city of soul)
Can't move, too cold...
Contributed by Bernart Bartleby - 2016/5/18 - 11:08
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Parole e musica di Bernie Lynch, chitarra e cori di questa pop band australiana.
Interpretata dalla splendida voce di Grace Knight, front girl degli Eurogliders e in seguito protagonista di una carriera solista che prosegue ancora oggi.
Nell’album intitolato “Absolutely” e, più recentemente (dopo l’immancabile reunion), in quello intitolato “Don't Eat the Daisies” (2015)
30 anni fa questo brano, dotato di un sound accattivante decisamente pop anni 80, passò molto nelle radio di tutto il mondo e in Australia l’album da cui è tratto rimase nelle classifiche per molti mesi. Una musica molto orecchiabile e ballabile che però accompagna un testo che parla di un episodio sconvolgente, di quando nel 1985 la polizia di Filadelfia, nell’intento di sgomberare una comune-squat dei MOVE - una piccola organizzazione, ma molto radicale ed armata, della galassia del Black Power - arrivò a bombardare l’edificio dove i militanti si erano asserragliati con le loro famiglie e i loro bambini, uccidendo 11 di loro (tra cui 5 bambini) e causando uno spaventoso incendio che si propagò ad un intero quartiere e che provocò la distruzione di una sessantina di edifici e milioni di dollari di danni.
Filadelfia è ancora oggi beffardamente chiamata “La città che bombardò sé stessa”.
Nessuno fu mai nemmeno incriminato per quella enormità, mentre parecchi militanti dei MOVE, considerati terroristi, marciscono ancora oggi in galera (e alcuni vi sono pure morti) per quella ed altre vicende legate alla loro esperienza nei primi anni 80. Anche il famoso Mumia Abu-Jamal, all’ergastolo per l’omicidio di un poliziotto avvenuto nel 1981, è stato molto legato ai MOVE e la cosa non gli ha portato molto bene, visto che anche lui marcisce in carcere dal 1982 nonostante sia oggi gravemente ammalato di diabete ed epatite C.
Sui MOVE ed il “1985 Bombing” si veda anche Operation MOVE dei Leftöver Crack, brano che però arrivava 20 anni dopo i fatti.
(Ho provato a correggere il testo all’ascolto, perchè nessuna delle poche versioni presenti in Rete mi soddisfaceva... Chi conosce l’inglese meglio di me verifichi la bontà della versione qui proposta.)