Crime in the City

[Chorus]
All you see
All you see is crime in the city
All you see
All you see is crime in the city
All you see, all you see
All you see is crime in the city
All you see, all you see
All you see is crime in the city

[Verse 1]
I was sittin' on the platform, visually nil and void
Reading about the times square show in village voice
The fives rolled by like visions of joy
Psycho analysing citizens like Sigmund Freud
B-Boys congregated in Keds and Clydes
Recognised Lee talkin' to Freddy Five
Lady Pink rocked the tight jeans extra high
Denim jacket with a back piece seventy-nine
Black books gettin' signed in red devils
White styles were being born and conceptualised
DONDI's gettin' high tokin' a small spliff
Fillin' a pilot pen with grocery store ink
Blade's talkin' to Tracy, Doze is drawin'
Cap's looking over his shoulder with caution
A dozen or more kids surround Martha Cooper
Transfixed on a strange whole car by Futura
Super kool looked up at something perplexin' him
Like children of the grave runnin' through Lexington
Turned around saw Phase2, coppers arresting him
Silhouettes jump the third rail

[Chorus]
All you see
All you see is crime in the city
All you see
All you see is crime in the city
All you see, all you see
All you see is crime in the city
All you see, all you see
All you see is crime in the city

[Verse 2]
Public enemies since the summer of seventy-one
When Taki spawned a new generation of love
Black Benji's death was a revelation for some
In December at the ho avenue boys club
Where sixty-eight presidents signed a gang treaty
And ten-thousand members combined the family
You might've seen it in the warriors movie
But this is real life, that started a movement
The streets of New York got a chance for peace
Block parties got thrown, kids danced in the streets
At Cedar Park a Grand Master Flash to be watched
Kool Herc merry the apache beat
And on the break down baby skulls moved to James Brown
The man with a thousand moves pulled the ace out
Melle Mel swayed the crowd to say it loud
And violence dissipated in the concrete play ground

[Bridge]
All you see is (crime) all you see is (crime)
All you see is (crime in the city)
All you see is (crime) all you see is (crime)
All you see is (crime in the city)

[Verse 3]
Bambaattaa, the black spade campaigned for unity
Beyond the walls of a bronx river community
Across the apache line of promiscuity
Like the Kool Lady blue opportunity
Savage nomads roamed the ghost yard
Graduatin' from dope tags to throw ups
Painting political statements on whole cars
The transition of renegades of culture

[Chorus]
All you see
All you see is crime in the city
All you see
All you see is crime in the city
All you see, all you see
All you see is crime in the city
All you see, all you see
All you see is crime in the city