Phil Ochs – In The Heat Of The Summer lyrics

Intro: Dm Gm Dm Gm Dm

Gm Dm
In the heat of the summer
F A
When the pavements were burning
Dm C Dm
The soul of a city was ravaged in the night
Gm Dm
After the city sun was sinkin'


Dm Gm Dm
Now no one knows how it started
F A
Why the windows were shattered
Dm C Dm
But deep in the dark, someone set the spark
Gm Dm
And then it no longer mattered.

Dm Gm Dm
Down the streets they were rumbling
F A
All the tempers were ragin
Dm C Dm
Oh, where, oh, where are the white silver tongues
Gm Dm
Who forgot to listen to the warnings?

Dm Gm Dm
On and On come the angry
F A
No longer following reason
Dm C Dm
And all the stores were the target now
Gm Dm
Where just the other day they were buyin

Dm Gm Dm
Drunk with the memory of the ghetto
F A
Drunk with the lure of the looting
Dm C Dm
And the memory of the uniforms shoving with their sticks
Gm Dm
Asking, "Are you looking for trouble?"

Dm Gm Dm
"No, no, no," moaned the mayor.
F A
"It's not the way of the order.
Dm C Dm
"Oh stay in your homes, please leave us alone
Gm Dm
"We'll be glad to talk in the morning."

Dm Gm Dm
"For shame, for shame," wrote the papers.
F A
"Why the hurry to your hunger?
Dm C Dm
"Now the rubble's resting on your broken streets
Gm Dm
"So you see what your rage has unraveled."

Dm Gm Dm
Baricades sadly were risin
F A
Bricks were heavily flyin
Dm C Dm
And the loudspeaker drowned like a whisperin' sound
Gm Dm
When compared to the angered emotions

Dm Gm Dm
And when the fury was over
F A
And the Shame was replacing the anger.
Dm C Dm
So wrong, so wrong, but we've been down so long
Gm Dm
And we had to make somebody listen
Gm Dm Gm Dm Gm Dm
In the heat of the summer......