The Motor City Is Burning - John Lee Hooker

Oh, the motor city’s burnin'

It ain’t no thing in the world that I can do

Don’t ya know

Don’t ya know the big D is burnin'?

Ain’t no thing in the world that Johnny can do

My home town burnin' down to the ground

Worser than Viet Nam

Well, it started on 12th and Clairmont, this mornin'

I just don’t know what it’s all about

Well, it started on 12th and Clairmont, this mornin'

I don’t know what it’s all about

The fire wagon kept comin'

The snipers just wouldn’t let 'em put it out

Fire bomb bustin' all around me

An' soldiers was ev’rywhere

Well, fire bomb fallin' all around me

And soldiers standin' ev’rywhere

I could hear the people screaming

Sirens fill the air

I don’t know what the trouble is

I can’t stay around to find it out

I don’t know, I don’t know

What the trouble is, this mo’nin'

I just can’t stay around to find it out

Takin' my wife an my family

And little Johnny Lee is clearin' out

The motor city’s burnin'

Ain’t a thing that I can do

Well, the motor city’s burnin'

Ain’t a thing that I can do

I just hope, people

It’ll never happen to you

Yes, yes, I could hear the fireman

Said, 'Look, get outta here

It’s too hot'