Smoke Over Saint-Denis

Paroles de « Smoke Over Saint-Denis »

Verse

Radio come een at quarter past ten,
talk 'bout bwoy inna street in Saint-Denis again,
one high school burn down to the window frame,
twelve police van park up pon the same lane.
Me only know that place from football an' perfume,
Trinité pon the shelf behind me inna the room.

Verse

Me is sixty-eight, me coulda be them grandfather,
me ask the radio how old, the radio carry on.
Then it seh sixteen, seventeen, fourteen,
an' me look pon the smoke, how the smoke a come green,
not black, not white — green like wet tyre a burn,
an' the drum come een now, slow, fi take him turn.

Chorus

Smoke over Saint-Denis.
Smoke over Saint-Denis.

Verse

Down the next lane me have a yout' name Deandre,
him turn sixteen Thursday, nobody bake nothing.
Him stan' up by the gate from seven till ten,
same height, same shoulder, same shirt, same bone.
Rich country a fight it own pickney after dark —
eight t'ousand mile, an' the speaker cone a crack.

Chorus

Smoke over Saint-Denis.
Smoke over Saint-Denis.

Verse

The announcer say the mayor call it unrest,
him say it twice, like the second time a test.
Me count the van again — twelve, then fifteen,
me count the age again — sixteen, sixteen, sixteen.
Outside here the moon a sit pon the zinc,
an' the dog by the standpipe nah move from him spot.

Outro

Me reach over, me straighten up the transistor pon the amp.