Here's a little scat tune
that I wrote about Avenue A in the 1980s,
in the early 1980s before,
you know, when there's people living there
but there weren't any houses living.
You know what I mean?
He said now they have
sushi restaurants.
There used to be
tents in the park.
I don't know if
anybody remembers that.
Riots in Tompkins Square.
Out on Avenue A
With a private stock 40 in the air
Copping 30 quarters
From a dreadlocks man
The mods were doing something
In the back of the van
That's when it was really going down
That's when it was really
Back then it was really
Back when it was really going down
Back then it was really
Back when it was really
Back there there was three going
da -da -da -da -da -da
-da -da -da -da
Black, white, and Asian skinheads
Pouting the streets
Shak -shak -shak -shak -shak
-shak -shak -shak
Smoking spliffs and English
cigarettes with coke
Ha -ha -ha -ha -ha
Checking out the miniskirts
On the bob cut flirts
That's when it was really going down
That's when it was really
Back when it was really
That's when it was really
Going down
That's when it was really
Back when it was really
Back then it was sweet, boy, an d now, yeah,
yeah
Prince Buster blaring from the boombox
on the roof of the car
Bob Marley, the Clash,
the Jam an d the Special
Only cross Avenue B just to cop some D
You only enter the path to bleed
That's what it was really
Back when it was really
Back then it was really going down
That's what it was really
Back when it was really
That's when it was really going down
That's when it was really
Back when it was really
That's when it was really going down