As the snow flies On a cold and gray Chicago morning A poor little baby child is born In the ghetto In the ghetto And his mama cries 'cause if there's one thing that she don't need it's another hungry mouth to feed In the ghetto In the ghetto People don't you understand the child needs a helping hand or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day Take a look at you and me are we too blind to see do we simply turn our heads and look the other way Well the world turns and a hungry little boy with a runny nose plays in the street as the cold wind blows In the ghetto In the ghetto And his hunger burns so he starts to roam the streets at night and he learns how to steal and he learns how to fight In the ghetto In the ghetto Then one night in desperation a young man breaks away He buys a gun steals a car tries to run but he don't get far And his mama cries As a crowd gathers 'round an angry young man face down on the street with a gun in his hand In the ghetto In the ghetto and as her young man dies In the ghetto on a cold gray Chicago morning another little baby child is born In the ghetto In the ghetto And his mama cries In the ghetto In the ghetto