Hillbrow Nightriders

Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa Recounting an accidental drive around the Hillbrow area of Johannesburg in the dark of night. Not the place you want to be hanging around with a shiny white face

Recording at : https://soundcloud.com/martinos74/hillbrow-nightriders

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Hillbrow Nightriders

Dark streets, shadows, broken lights,

Broken characters hiding in the downlight,

A smell of cheap liquor and an air of menace,

Bodies rolling along the street looking for their next victim,

That's what it feels like in Hillbrow.

Lost, but don't want to show it,

Riding around with a bright light on my white face,

Revealing my fears and insecurities.

Another corner, another fight,

Another drunken argument, in this murky downlight,

Is it poverty, opportunities, or another bottle of gin?

There's something deep here causing untold sin,

That's what it feels like in Hillbrow.

Still lost, Still dark,

I'm trying to read a map but this makes me more anxious,

My white face glistens again, like a beacon,

FEAR!

There's a sound of broken glass,

Raised voices and shouting,

A gunshot, screams, this doesn't feel right,

Not the place to be moving through the shadows and downlight,

That's what it feels like in Hillbrow.

LOST, no signs,

Just streets full of danger,

I've been here before, driving in circles with the face of a stranger,

Times like this, you pray to survive,

It's only the highway that keeps me alive,

That's what it feels like in Hillbrow.

Johannesburg Feb 2013

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Recording at : https://soundcloud.com/martinos74/hillbrow-nightriders