the kids in my hood

the kids in my hood
gotta play me their music
to school me old school
as they cruise by my home

a new tejano sound drowns out
the rain, scares even the grackles
into the sky, the crackling
of the snare, rim shot

and accordion rings, the man
singing a song of anguish
then the droning spanglish
of reggaeton drenches these

children of another mother
loving the evening air --
their bilinguilism their passport
to other worlds -- many know but one.

the kids in my hood
got every way to go but down,
got a lot of fences to climb,
got dreams to ascend to --

they ain't given their homes
in the hip part of town --
they' got to earn every penny
'cause they don't start with any

and I'm happy to live in their hood
happy until they make me hafta hear
their music at 3am while I'm in bed,
and not in the mood for the bass,

'cause i'm tryin' to earn every penny
i can for the same damn reason.