Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) Lyrics

[Verse 3]
Hang ups, let downs
Bad breaks, set backs
Natural fact is
Oh, honey that I can't pay my taxes


[Chorus]
Oh, make me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands
Yeah, it make me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands (Ow!)

[Verse 4]
Crime is (Woo!) increasing
Trigger happy policing
Panic is spreading
God knows where we're heading


[Outro]
Oh, baby
Make me wanna holler, they don’t understand
Yeah, make me wanna holler, they don’t understand

[Part II: "What's Going On" Reprise]
Mother, mother (Mother, mother)
Everybody thinks we're wrong (Mother, mother)
Who are they to judge us? (Mother, mother)
Simply 'cause we wear our hair long (Mother, mother)
Ooh
Ah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Oh

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About

Genius Annotation

“Inner City Blues” depicts the ghettos of inner-city America as it discusses the bleak economic situation set against the backdrop of the space race, the Vietnam War and the subsequent protests it caused as well as police brutality. It peaked at #9 in the US in late 1971.

“Inner City Blues” stands in stark contrast to What’s Going On’s mostly uplifting tone as it uses darker, mellow funk sounds to capture the suffering spirit of urban America.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Marvin Gaye say about "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"?
Genius Answer

In 1998, co-writer James Nyx Jr. recalled:

Marvin had a good tune, sort of blues-like, but didn’t have any words for it. We started putting some stuff in there about how rough things were around town. We laughed about putting lyrics in about high taxes, ‘cause both of us owed a lot. And we talked about how the government would send guys to the moon, but not help folks in the ghetto. But we still didn’t have a name, or really a good idea of the song. Then, I was home reading the paper one morning, and saw a headline that said something about the 'inner city’ of Detroit. And I said, ‘Damn, that’s it. Inner City Blues.’

Credits
Produced By
Recorded At
Hitsville U.S.A., Detroit, Michigan
Release Date
May 21, 1971
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