Découvrez les paroles de la chanson « Living for the City » de Stevie Wonder, accompagnées des explications de leur signification, d’anecdotes et de contexte.
Paroles de la chanson
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…ee ha!
His father works some days for fourteen hours
And you can bet he barely makes a dollar
His mother goes to scrub the floor for many
And you'd best believe she hardly gets a penny
Living just enough, just enough for the city…yeah
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…um hum
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…
Living just enough…
For the city…ooh,ooh
[repeat several times]His hair is long, his feet are hard and gritty
He spends his love walking the streets of New York City
He's almost dead from breathing on 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, just enough for the city!!!!
La, la, la, la, la, la,
Da Ba Da Da Da Da Da Da
Da Da Da Da Da Da
Da Ba Da Da Da Da Da Da Da
[Repeat to end]Explication des paroles de Living for the City de Stevie Wonder
« Living for the City » est une chanson de Stevie Wonder qui aborde les thèmes de la pauvreté, de la discrimination raciale et des injustices sociales. Sortie en 1973, elle raconte l’histoire d’un jeune homme noir qui quitte sa petite ville pour tenter sa chance dans la grande ville, mais qui se retrouve confronté à la dure réalité de la vie urbaine. Cette chanson emblématique a été inspirée par les expériences de Wonder et de nombreux Afro-Américains qui ont été confrontés à des obstacles systémiques et à la violence raciste.
Une anecdote intéressante sur la chanson est que Stevie Wonder a enregistré tous les instruments et voix lui-même, démontrant ainsi son incroyable talent musical et sa capacité à transmettre des émotions complexes à travers sa musique.
En conclusion, « Living for the City » est une œuvre puissante et intemporelle qui met en lumière les injustices auxquelles de nombreuses communautés marginalisées sont confrontées, et qui reste pertinente aujourd’hui.