Streets as hot as metal Where bodies turn to ice Bullets litter cracked sidewalks That broke the sad stoplights. Laughs flood through the fences With shattered slides and dreams The man passed by this every day With feelings that tested seams. Every day, the same old thing Drugs erupting from the bricks Graffiti covering an old cafe Crime makes this city tick. Another young kid crying For he hasn't got a home Another car's been totaled The wrath road rage has shown. Another playground built again Trying to make the town look clean He can't ignore the orange jumpsuits That stick around to plant some trees. Blood stains here and flowers there Take a stroll down Contrast Street Ignoring grimy street vendors Cause he's heard they've got the creeps. Another gun shot in the air Another cry for help Another pretty restaurant And people trying to convince themselves. That maybe it's not happening Someone will come along who cares Someone else, take care of that! Me? No, don't you even dare. So I guess this can just keep happening These walking contradictories You're defeating your own purpose We're losing, don't you see?