A gangster came to see my boy
When I was working nights to pay one more bill
He promised the kid a sweeter life
Said, "Gotta understand it's dog eat dog out there"

Well, I looked in his room when I got home
And underneath the covers found a loaded gun
He looked at me with empty eyes
He said, "It's time for me to be moving on"

Dirty city, this is a dirty town
Where's the pity, I can't move on up to higher ground

I spoke to my woman the other day
She said, "I need more cash, we can't pay our way"
She said, "Everything gets really hard
And I need something sweet, don't you understand?"

Dirty city, this is a dirty town
Where's the pity, I can't move on up to higher ground, ground, higher ground

Dirty city, this is a dirty town
Where's the pity, I can't move on up to higher ground, higher ground

Dirty city, this is a dirty town (move up, gonna move right up, gonna move right up)
Where's the pity, I can't move on up to higher ground (move on up, higher ground)

Dirty city, this is a dirty town


Lyrics submitted by kfe2

Dirty City [Edit] Lyrics as written by Peter Douglas Godwin Peter Godwin

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Dirty City song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

2 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is great becouse reflects the misery and violence that you can see in big cities all around the world. Seteve Winwood has an enormous talent creating masterpieces for so many reasons. Another excelent point is Clapton solo.

    jbarros57on March 28, 2009   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines: "Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet" So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other: "I had all and then most of you" Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart "Some and now none of you" Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship. This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example: "'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/