Kensinton
Karl Martino and Dante Martino - Copyright 1993, 2002A song written by me and my brother, one rainy night at a place commonly referred to as 'Needle Point Park'. The song reflects the life of one kid, who get's twisted by a neighbohood whose culture is one of struggle in the face of drugs, decay, and hopelessness.
The lyrics to Kensinton were reprinted in the New Hampshire newspaper "The Citizen" on December 12th, 2001. The author of the article came to Philly to work for a soup kitchen in Kensington. Somehow - he found my site and our song. Link - The Citizen: Feeding the Needy
About the recording - This is my second attempt home recording. First with my Boss BR-532. This song was written with a band in mind, but I've always played it with a single acoustic guitar. For this recording, I composed five tracks: one acoustic guitar, two electic guitars, one vocal and one drum track. The drum track was composed and created with the BR-532's rhythm guide, which is basically a stripped down drum machine. Composing a drum track was definitely a new experience. I will be posting a new version sometime in the future with a better mix and simpler drums.
Litter lines the streetsThe homeless beggin for something to eat
Decay is here, like a cancer
Sometimes a pill seems like the only answer
Now Jimmy was born without a father
It made is life just that much harder
Now Jimmy's doin time
He shot a dealer dead for a lousy dime
Your hopes
And your dreams
Don't mean that much
In
Ken - sin - ton
Your heart
Fills with screams
But it don't mean much
In
Ken - sin - ton
Jimmy never did that well in school
In fact he always played the class fool
Inside he couldn't find the tears to cry
Slowly watched himself begin to die
Jimmy had a heart of gold
But in the end sold it away
He needed some kind of escape
From the pain he faced every day
Your hopes
And your dreams
Don't mean that much
In
Ken - sin - ton
Your heart
Fills with screams
But it don't mean much
In
Ken - sin - ton
As I sit here in my jail cell
I look back on the place I called hell
If by the chair I'm gonna die
Then turn on the current and make me fry
'Cause you can see it from the York and Dauphin Station
For a miles and a miles the devastation
My tomb will a better place for me
Lord take me from here,
No more hurt pain or agony or fear....
Your hopes
And your dreams
Don't mean that much
In
Ken - sin - ton
Your heart
Fills with screams But it don't mean much
In
Ken - sin - ton
Kensinton took my youth away
Kensinton broke my soul today
Kensinton broke my soul
Kensinton made me into this fool