The Ghetto

About The Ghetto

"The Ghetto" is a socially conscious, mostly instrumental jazz-flavored anthem, released as the first single off American soul singer Donny Hathaway's debut album, Everything Is Everything, released as a single in 1970 on Atlantic Records. The song was co-written by Hathaway and Leroy Hutson. The song was a 6 minute and 50 second extravaganza which built upon a cinematic feel with its lengthy instrumental though it did feature vocal ad-libs from Hathaway, who played Wurlitzer electric piano on the song, and constant chants of the song, which had a distinctive Afro-Cuban sound with congas. The song also featured additional backgrounds, dialogue from what sound like men talking on a street corner and a baby crying - that baby being Hathaway's own daughter Lalah before Hathaway ended the song with frenetic hand claps. When originally released in 1970, the song became a modest charted single, peaking at number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 23 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. The song was also featured on Hathaway's revered Live album in which Hathaway and his musicians played a faster version of the song and later featured Hathaway getting the audience into it singing the final chorus. The song was also used in the 1977 film Short Eyes. more »

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Ooh, mm
Mm-hmm
Yes, this is the ghetto, sure 'nuff now

Oh, oh-oh, oh
Aw, yeah

Don't you know that's all right? 
Yeah 
Yeah

Aw (hey), yeah

The ghetto, hmm 
The ghetto 
The ghetto
The ghetto
Sure 'nuff

The ghetto
The ghetto
The ghetto
The ghetto
Oh, yeah

The ghetto, the ghetto
The ghetto, the ghetto, the ghetto
The ghetto, the ghetto, the ghetto
The ghetto, the ghetto, the ghetto
Yeah, yeah

The ghetto
The ghetto 
You don't know what I'm talking about, yeah
The ghetto

The ghetto
My Lord
The ghetto
The ghetto

The ghetto 
Whoa
The ghetto
The ghetto

The ghetto
The ghetto
The ghetto

I

I think y'all should listen to the brother
Wait a minute 

No you ain't doin' what you're suppose to
You doin' what you wanna do (well)
But you know you are

Hey-ho
Living in my
The ghetto
The ghetto
The ghetto
The ghetto

That's alright, everything is okay

The ghetto
You better get a job
The ghetto
The ghetto
Quality night y'all (it was)

The ghetto
Everything is everything y'all
The ghetto
Pass the joint
The ghetto

The ghetto
The ghetto 
We ain't gettin' out (woo)
The ghetto

Y'all look so elegant
The ghetto
The ghetto
The ghetto
Woo, look who it is
The ghetto

Yeah
The ghetto
The ghetto
The ghetto (get it)

The ghetto (leave her alone man)
The ghetto
The ghetto
The ghetto

Hey man give me you're money
You better not tell anybody
I don't owe you shit

Mm-hm (hey boy)
Mm-hm
Whoa (hey hey, hey hey)

The ghetto
Talkin' 'bout the ghetto
The ghetto 
Talkin' 'bout the ghetto
I'm talkin' bout the ghetto (the ghetto)
Talkin' 'bout the ghetto (hmm, yeah)
The ghetto 
Talkin' 'bout the ghetto (it's alright now)
Talkin' bout the ghetto (the ghetto)
Talkin' 'bout the ghetto (oh)
The ghetto 
Talkin' 'bout the ghetto (whoa yeah)
The ghetto 
Talkin' 'bout the ghetto (hmm)
The ghetto
Talkin' 'bout the ghetto (hmm)

Mm-hmm
Whoa-oh
Whoa-oh

I'm talkin 'bout the ghetto
I'm talkin' bout the ghetto, yeah

Can y'all dig it out there?

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Donny Hathaway

Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music." more »

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