Radio Paradise (mobile)

A boy is born in hard time Mississippi
Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty
His parents give him love and affection
To keep him strong, moving in the right direction
Living just enough, just enough for the city
His father works some days for fourteen hours
And you can bet he barely makes a dollar
His mother goes to scrub the floors for many
And you'd best believe she hardly gets a penny
Living just enough, just enough for the city
Da da da...
His sister's black but she is sho'nuff pretty
Her skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdy
To walk to school she's got to get up early
Her clothes are old but never are they dirty
Living just enough, just enough for the city
Her brother's smart he's got more sense than many
His patience's long but soon he won't have any
To find a job is like a haystack needle
Cause where he lives they don't use colored people
Living just enough, just enough for the city
Da da da...
Living just enough, for the city, whoa
Living just enough, for the city, whoa
Da da da...
His hair is long, his feet are hard and gritty
He spends his life walking the streets of New York City
He's almost dead from breathing in air pollution
He tried to vote but to him there's no solution
Living just enough, just enough for the city
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow
And that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow
This place is cruel no where could be much colder
If we don't change the world will soon be over
Living just enough, stop giving just enough for the city
Da da da...

calypsus_1 Jun 30, 2011 - 20:05	Stevie Wonder & Ray Charles - living for the city, Live [ Reply ]
kayc Jan 31, 2011 - 12:45	Wow! Stevie Wonder! Just like I pictured him! [ Reply ]
helgigermany Sep 11, 2010 - 05:59	spiritintosoul wrote: how can this be anything less than an 8 or 9? For me, it can!! [ Reply ]
sirdroseph Sep 11, 2010 - 05:54	spiritintosoul wrote: how can this be anything less than an 8 or 9? Yea, I'm with you. [ Reply ]
sirdroseph Sep 11, 2010 - 05:53	Lubs! [ Reply ]
christopherwoods Aug 10, 2010 - 05:38	unclehud wrote: "The Most Dangerous City in America." What, Detroit? ;-) Glad to hear this get rotation again, been too long since I played my vinyl of this album... Time to bust out the new stylus and give it a spin this weekend I think. [ Reply ]
drews Aug 10, 2010 - 05:16	who's not swaying like a muppet to this one? [ Reply ]
crispynz1 Jun 14, 2010 - 22:19	Love this tune & glad the uncensored version gets airtime. [ Reply ]
madhoop Jun 14, 2010 - 22:15	spiritintosoul wrote: how can this be anything less than an 8 or 9? I second that...this was Stevie at his peak for sure. [ Reply ]
kurtster Apr 12, 2010 - 09:46	Like so much music, I guess you had to be there, and out on the streets living it. This was not music made for suburbia. [ Reply ]
wenatchee Apr 12, 2010 - 09:32	Overrated [ Reply ]
(former member) Apr 12, 2010 - 09:25	Sjaaks wrote: Can't rate it any higher than a 2! My god this song is so incredibly annoying! First of all it's way too long. Second, the ultimate crappy trumpet sample is truely the worst sound i've heard in a very, very long time... Note: Take the "is" word as my opinion, didn't know how to put it differently... Sample? There wasn't anything like sampling at this point. Could be a good old analog synth, though. Too long? Listen to how he condenses a man's trip from home->bus->NYC->arrest->sentencing->jail in the break of the song. What, 30 seconds? This was Wonder at his peak. This plus songs like Reggae Woman (my fave) are a period of music that we might not see again for a very long time. [ Reply ]
mandolin Apr 12, 2010 - 09:25	...cookie monster voice; love it!.. [ Reply ]
RParadise Apr 12, 2010 - 09:21	And after everything that has gone before, he closes the song with that remarkable chorus of angels singing those final notes that are left hanging in your memory . . . and the needle comes off the record. [ Reply ]
spiritintosoul Mar 11, 2010 - 18:37	how can this be anything less than an 8 or 9? [ Reply ]
Sjaaks Feb 08, 2010 - 05:52	Can't rate it any higher than a 2! My god this song is so incredibly annoying! First of all it's way too long. Second, the ultimate crappy trumpet sample is truely the worst sound i've heard in a very, very long time... Note: Take the "is" word as my opinion, didn't know how to put it differently... [ Reply ]
dggeek Feb 08, 2010 - 05:51	It just goes on and on, doesn't it? That synth makes me think of Flash Gordon. Surreal song. [ Reply ]
ronniegirl Dec 07, 2009 - 10:25	jagdriver wrote: A single line that was permanently etched in my neural network years ago. Every once in awhile out it comes as a total non-sequiter. Of course, few in my present company ever understand the oblique cultural reference. Maybe that's what makes it so much fun to uncork every so often. The last time was a couple of months ago as we were about to take on Satan's Cesspool (The American River) in inflatible watercraft. Also, this track sounded GREAT when blasted from stageside speakers at outdoor EMU concerts back when (Dave Mason, Santana, Peter Frampton....). My office in NJ has a good view of the skyline. About once a month, I say something like "just like I pictured it" and only the old fogies get it. [ Reply ]
On_The_Beach Nov 06, 2009 - 01:02	apd wrote: What? I love that bit! Whenever I visit NY, I can't help thinking "Skyscrapers! And eveythang..." It's Stevie's Cookie Monster voice at the end that I find silly. Cookie Monster voice! Damn, you just ruined 36 years of Stevie for me, but at least I got a laugh out of it. [ Reply ]
thewiseking Oct 06, 2009 - 08:08	DaveInVA wrote: Yep and still.... actually, the references to New York City are now terribly dated, unless you refer to a city occupied by laid off investment bankers as "mean streets". [ Reply ]