In The Heat Of The Summer Lyrics

Phil Ochs In The Heat Of The Summer

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


Why the windows were shattered
But deep in the dark, someone set the spark
And then it no longer mattered


All the tempers were ragin'
Oh, where, oh, where are the white silver tongues
Who forgot to listen to the warnings?


No longer following reason
And all the stores were the target now
Where just the other day they were buyin'


Drunk with the lure of the looting
And the memory of the uniforms shoving with their sticks
Asking, "Are you looking for trouble?"


"It's not the way of the order
Oh, stay in your homes, please leave us alone
We'll be glad to talk in the morning"


"Why the hurry to your hunger?
Now the rubble's resting on your broken streets
So you see what your rage has unraveled"


Bricks were heavily flyin'
And the loudspeaker drowned like a whisperin' sound
When compared to the angered emotions


And the shame was replacing the anger
So wrong, so wrong, but we've been down so long
And we had to make somebody listen
In the heat of the summer