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Downtown Lyrics by Def Jef

Just a Poet With Soul

1989

[Verse 1]
Survival is the name of the game downtown
It`s not a place to be if you don`t know your way around
Cause they don`t play around in this part of town
Last night this kid was found
In an alley with a bullet in the back of his head
Over what? A bottle of crack and he`s dead
And everyone claimed that they didn`t see nothing
But, yo, somebody had to see something
But don`t ask the man with the big brown bag in his hand
He eat food outta garbage can
Cause he will start telling ya gory old war stories
About how he served his country
Served as sergeant, got the Purple Heart
Now he`s living on the street, trying not to starve
But he don`t want a job, he just wants to be left alone
In his home street home: downtown

[Hook] X4
(Do-do-downtown!)
Downtown

[Verse 2]
I was taking a bus one day last week
And I missed my stop cause I fell asleep
But when I woke up and took a look around
I found that I have wound up uptown
Hopped off the bus and stepped on the pavement
All I could do is stare in amazement
I mean, the grass was clean, the streets were clean
I`ve read about it but I’ve never seen
It with my own eyes
And everything`s true and
Everything`s brand spanking new, man!
If I had a chance to live this good
You know I would
But in my neighborhood there`s not enough unity
To clean up the community
But collectively if we took responsibility
It would be a better place to be
Downtown

[Hook] X4
(Do-do-downtown!)
Downtown

[Verse 3]
Clubs, discos, neon lights
Gangs of lawbreakers and crime filled nights
Females are fine but the fellas are fools
They have one problem, following rules
They`re… always unruly
This Italian on my block call me a moolie
The pushers and pimps all walk with limps
And the kids are trying to break necks to get a glimpse
Of the fat gold chains or the funky fresh cars
Neighborhood drug czars are treated like stars
Peter got a beeper and he thinks he`s cool
So cool that he even brought a gun in the school
Yo, why did you bring a tool?
Who`s you gonna shoot?
But he says that his neighborhood is like Beirut
And something`s ALWAYS going down
When you live in downtown

[Hook] X4
(Do-do-downtown!)
Downtown

[Outro]
[?], Harlem, South Side Chi-Town, Compton
Credits

About “Downtown” by Def Jef

Read the complete lyrics to "Downtown" by Def Jef from the album "Just a Poet With Soul" in 1989. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Rap.

"Downtown" is performed by Def Jef. from the album "Just a Poet With Soul" in 1989 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Downtown", explore more songs by Def Jef using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Downtown" is credited to Def Jef. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Downtown" appears on "Just a Poet With Soul" in 1989.

Visit the Def Jef artist page at /artist/def-jef for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.


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