[Intro: Lou Rawls]
You know
I was in New York City a few months ago
And the garbage and the trashmen were on strike
I'm tellin', the maintenance people of the city
What they were tryin' to do
They were tryin' to get a little more money
You know, get a little raise in pay
But at that particular time the city was broke
They were about to declare default
I tell you, the garbage in some places
Were stacked up two, three stories high
At night, haha
Boy, at night it weren't even safe to walk the street
'Cause there come the rats
The roaches and the waterbugs
And the neighborhood hustlin', baby
Tryin' to get somethin' to eat, see?
And let met tell you somethin'
It was stinkin'
And it was all kind of diseases in there, you know?
But it only brought to mind the fact that
You can no longer depend on the man downtown
To take care of business like he's supposed to
When he's supposed to
If all of us would get it like it's supposed to be
As far as cleaniness, you know, and safety
We gotta get together and do it for ourselves
That's the only way it's gonna be done
And you know what I'm talkin' about?
Let me tell you what I mean
Clean it up, clean it up (Well, y'all)
Clean it up, clean it up (You gotta get it)
Clean it up, clean it up (Yes, gonna get it)
Clean it up, clean it up
Ghetto!
Talkin' 'bout the ghetto!
Ghetto is our home
That's where we live, where we live

[Billy Paul]
Get some paint, fetch your hammer, your nails
Your broom, your mop and your pails
We're gonna wash it, polish
And make it all clean

[Archie Bell]
Let's wash away all of the sins
Time for a new life to begin
In the ghetto
I said (Clean it up, clean it up)
I said we're gonna (Clean it up, clean it up)

Because the (Ghetto)
I said the (Ghetto)
(Ghetto is our home)
That's where we live, where we live
[Teddy Pendergrass; Dee Dee Sharp]
Let's paint the signs everybody can read
Let's get rid of everything we don't need
Pushers, the dealers
The pocket-book snatchers and thieves, aha
Let's make the streets safe for women to walk
Let's get rid of all the foul talk
We gonna do it
In order for us to survive
I said we're gonna (Clean it up, clean it up) Do it
We got to (Clean it up, clean it up) Hey!

(Ghetto) Said the ghetto
(Ghetto is our home)
That's where we live from day to day
(Where we live, where we live)

[The O'Jays]
All of you brothers that live on the mainline
You lived in the ghetto once upon a time
We need everybody to lend a hand
Now you've helped everybody else
Now's the time for you to help yourself
We can't depend, depend on the people downtown
Well, well, get it up, get it up
Clean it up, clean it up (Well, well, ya)
Clean it up, clean it up (Hey, hey, hey)
Ghetto, ghetto
Ghetto is our home
Yeah, that's where we live, where we live
I said (Clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
I said (Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)
(Come on, y'all, let's clean it up, clean it up)