Papa hit him, kissed him Made him go to With the in their black and white And all the those city streets Were teaching him another of wisdom When to run and to fight Up at the playground after Listening to tales of the prison And lawless avenues Down on a half darkened A child's footsteps And there turns them those lawless avenues Silent Joe down so bad He was the strongest the avenues had Stabbed in the chest-- he went swinging Someone from some other part of No one even it coming down And you don't hear no church ringing And in the violent the police light Sweeps across the and the yards Following those avenues on a half darkened street Armies and retreat And to take control From lawless avenues sister Rosa Ran away with a surfer Hermosa Manuelito, a Rosa Hay mira estan las cosas! (Manuelito, take of Rosa at how things are) But who blame her after she saw Every boy die who could have close to her Rosa es y solo quiere ver la belleza del (Rosa is young and wants to see the of the world) said-- "You fight for what you want in this life" before they shipped him overseas to 'Nam Otra sin razon guerra sin fin, sin honor (Another war without Another war without end, honor) And she was fighting to When shipped Manuelito's body home All she heard was one shot Echoing down lawless Hoy amigo, tal igual ayer, La lucha en el no cambia Nuestros son los que han de crecer Por ley de la calle, viviendo entre Y (Today my friend, like yesterday, The struggle in the barrio change Our are the ones to grow up By the law of the street, between hugs and blows) Down on a half street Fathers' and sons' repeat And something turns them Down lawless avenues En el de la calle (In the of the street) el valor en la calle (Looking for in the street) Hasta final de la (Till the end of the street)