In the heat of the summer
Am - G - Am
- G
Am G Am - G
1. In the heat of the
summer,
C E
when the pavements were
burning
Dm
G E Am
the soul of a city was ravaged
in the night,
G Am
- G - Am - G
after the city sun was sinkin'.
Am G Am - G
2. Now no one knows how it started,
C E
why the windows were shattered,
Dm G E Am
but deep in the dark, someone
set the spark,
G Am - G - Am - G
and then it no longer
mattered.
Am G Am - G
3. Down the streets they were
rumbling,
C E
all the tempers were ragin.
Dm G E Am
Oh, where, oh, where are the
white silver tongues,
G Am - G - Am - G
who forgot to listen to the
warnings?
Am G Am - G
4. On and on come the angry,
C E
no longer following reason,
Dm G E Am
and all the stores were the
target now,
G Am - G - Am - G
where just
the other day they were buyin.
Am G Am - G
5. Drunk with the memory of the ghetto,
C E
drunk with the lure of the
looting,
Dm G E Am
and the memory of the uniforms
shoving with their sticks,
G Am - G - Am - G
asking, "Are you looking
for trouble?"
Am G Am - G
6. "No, no, no,"
moaned the mayor.
C E
It's not the way of the
order.
Dm G E Am
Oh stay in your homes, please
leave us alone,
G Am - G - Am - G
we'll be glad to talk in the
morning."
Am G Am - G
7. "For shame, for shame," wrote the papers.
C E
"Why
the hurry to your hunger?
Dm G E
Am
Now the rubble's resting on
your broken streets,
G Am - G - Am - G
so you see what your rage has unraveled."
Am G Am - G
8. Barricades sadly were risin,
C E
bricks were heavily flyin,
Dm G E Am
and the loudspeaker drowned
like a whisperin' sound,
G Am - G - Am - G
when compared to the angered
emotions.
Am G Am
- G
9. And when the fury was over,
C
E
and the shame was replacing
the anger,
Dm G E Am
so wrong, so wrong, but we've
been down too long,
G Am - G
and we had to make somebody
listen.
Am
G Am - G - Am - G - Am
In the heat of the summer.
(capo 4th) (Phil Ochs)