Adios Hermanos - Paul Simon

It was the morning of October 6th, 1960

I was wearing my brown suit

Preparing to leave the house of D

Shook some hands then adios Brooklyn, amigos

Maybe some of them had hopes of seeing me again

Some even said that my judge-

Judge Gerald Culkin-

Wouldn’t play it by the book

Maybe let us off the hook

But, woh-oo-woh, I knew better

Afraid to leave the projects

To cross into another neighborhood

The blancos and the nigga gangs

Well, they’d kill you if they could

Angel of mercy, people are suffering

All over the world

Spanish children are taught on their knees

To believe

Angel of mercy, people are suffering

All over the island tonight

Mothers weep

Sisters grieve

Well, I entered the courtroom, state of New York

County of New York, just some spic

They scrubbed off the sidewalk

Guilty by my dress

Guilty in the press

Let the Capeman burn for the murder

Well the «spanish boys» had their day in court

And now it was time for some fucking law and order

The electric chair

For the greasy pair

Said the judge to the court reporter

Afraid to leave the projects

To cross into another neighborhood

The newspapers and the t.v.

crews

Well, they’d kill you if they could

Angel of mercy, people are suffering

All over the world

A spanish boy could be killed every night of

The week

But just let some white boy die

And the world goes crazy for blood — latin blood

I don’t lie when I speak

Well they shackled my hands

A heavy belt around my waist to restrain me

And they shackled my legs

Hernandez, the «umbrella man,» chained beside me

Then we rode that black mariah

Through the streets of Spanish Harlem

Calling old friends on the corners

Just to lay our prayers upon them

Crying

Adios hermanos, adios

Adios hermanos, adios