Papa hit him, kissed him Made him go to With the in their black and white And all the time those streets Were teaching him kind of wisdom to run and when to fight Up at the playground school to tales of the prison system And lawless avenues Down on a half street A child's footsteps And there turns them Down those avenues Silent Joe went so bad He was the fighter the avenues had Stabbed in the chest-- he went down from some other part of town No one even seen it down And you don't hear no bells ringing And in the violent night the police Sweeps across the and the yards Following those avenues Down on a darkened street Armies and retreat And to take control From those lawless Manuelito's Rosa Ran away with a from Hermosa Manuelito, cuida a Hay como estan las cosas! (Manuelito, take of Rosa Look at how are) But who could blame her she saw Every boy die who could have close to her Rosa es joven y solo ver la del mundo (Rosa is young and wants to see the of the world) Manuel "You gotta fight for you want in this life" Just before they him overseas to 'Nam Otra guerra sin guerra sin fin, sin honor (Another war without war without end, without honor) And she was to understand When they Manuelito's body home All she heard was one shot Echoing lawless avenues Hoy amigo, tal igual ayer, La en el barrio no cambia Nuestros hijos son los que han de Por ley de la calle, entre abrazos Y (Today my friend, like yesterday, The in the barrio doesn't change Our children are the to grow up By the law of the street, between hugs and blows) Down on a half street Fathers' and sons' lives And something there them Down those avenues En el calor de la (In the of the street) Buscan el valor en la (Looking for in the street) Hasta de la calle (Till the end of the street)