Phil Ochs - In The Heat Of The Summer

intro : Dm Gm Dm Gm Dm

Gm Dm
in the heat of the summer
F A
when the pavements were burning
Dm C Dm
the soul of a city was ravaged in the night
Gm Dm
after the city sun was sinkin’

Dm Gm Dm
now no one knows how it started
F A
why the windows were shattered
Dm C Dm
but deep in the dark , someone set the spark
Gm Dm
and then it no longer mattered .

Dm Gm Dm
down the streets they were rumbling
F A
all the tempers were ragin
Dm C Dm
oh , where , oh , where are the white silver tongues
Gm Dm
who forgot to listen to the warnings?

Dm Gm Dm
on and on come the angry
F A
no longer following reason
Dm C Dm
and all the stores were the target now
Gm Dm
where just the other day they were buyin

Dm Gm Dm
drunk with the memory of the ghetto
F A
drunk with the lure of the looting
Dm C Dm
and the memory of the uniforms shoving with their sticks
Gm Dm
asking , “are you looking for trouble?”

Dm Gm Dm
“no , no , no , ” moaned the mayor .
F A
“it’s not the way of the order .
Dm C Dm
“oh stay in your homes , please leave us alone
Gm Dm
“we’ll be glad to talk in the morning . ”

Dm Gm Dm
“for shame , for shame , ” wrote the papers .
F A
“why the hurry to your hunger?
Dm C Dm
“now the rubble’s resting on your broken streets
Gm Dm
“so you see what your rage has unraveled . ”

Dm Gm Dm
baricades sadly were risin
F A
bricks were heavily flyin
Dm C Dm
and the loudspeaker drowned like a whisperin’ sound
Gm Dm
when compared to the angered emotions

Dm Gm Dm
and when the fury was over
F A
and the shame was replacing the anger .
Dm C Dm
so wrong , so wrong , but we’ve been down so long
Gm Dm
and we had to make somebody listen
Gm Dm Gm Dm Gm Dm
in the heat of the summer . . . . . .