Lyrics Open Letter (To a Landlord) - Living Colour, Vernon Reid, Corey Glover

Open Letter (To a Landlord)

Now you can tear a building down but you can’t erase a memory
These houses may look all run down but they have a value you can’t see
This is my neighborhood
This is where I come from
I call this place my home
You call this place a slum
You wanna run the people out
This is what you’re all about
Treat poor people just like trash
Turn around and make big cash
Now you can tear a building down but you can’t erase a memory
These houses may look all run down but they have a value you can’t see
Last month there was a fire
I saw seven children die
You sent flowers to their families but your sympathy’s a lie
'Cause every building that you burn is more blood money that you earn
We are forced to relocate from the pain that you create
Now you can tear a building down but you can’t erase a memory
These houses may look all run down but they have a value you can’t see
Now you can tear a building down but you can’t erase a memory
These houses may look all run down but they have a value you can’t see
We lived here for so many years
Now this house is full of fear
For a profit you will take control
Where will all the older people go?
(Go, go, go, go, go)
There used to be when kids could play without the scourge of drug’s decay
Now our kids are living dead
They crack and blow their lives away
Now you can tear a building down but you can’t erase a memory
These houses may look all run down but they have a value you can’t see
Now you can tear a building down but you can’t erase a memory (Memory)
These houses may look all run down but they have a value you can’t see
(You've got to fight, you’ve got to fight) Now you can tear a building down
(You've got to fight for your neighbourhood) But you can’t erase a memory
(You, you got to fight) These houses may look all run down
(For you neighbourhood) But they have a value you can’t see
(You've got to, you’ve got to fight) Now you can tear a building down
(You've got to fight for your neighbourhood) But you can’t erase a memory
(You've got to fight, you’ve got to fight) These houses may look all run down
(For your neighbourhood)