Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Adrian Mitchell

BACK IN THE PLAYGROUND BLUES

BACK IN THE PLAYGROUND BLUES

BACK IN THE PLAYGROUND BLUES

I dreamed I was back in the playground, I was about four feet high
Yes I dreamed I was back in the playground, standing about four feet high
Well the playground was three miles long and the playground was five miles wide

It was broken black tarmac with a high wire fence all around
Broken black dusty tarmac with a high fence running all around
And it had a special name to it, they called it The Killing Ground

Got a mother and a father they\'re one thousand years away
The rulers of the Killing Ground are coming out to play
Everybody thinking: ‘Who they going to play with today?’

      Well you get it for being Jewish
      And you get it for being black
      You get it for being chicken
      And you get it for fighting back
      You get it for being big and fat
      Get it for being small
      Oh those who get it get it and get it
      For any damn thing at all

Sometimes they take a beetle, tear off its six legs one by one
Beetle on its black back, rocking in the lunchtime sun
But a beetle can’t beg for mercy, a beetle’s not half the fun

I heard a deep voice talking, it had that iceberg sound
‘It prepares them for Life’ - but I have never found
Any place in my life worse than The Killing Ground.
Close

BACK IN THE PLAYGROUND BLUES

I dreamed I was back in the playground, I was about four feet high
Yes I dreamed I was back in the playground, standing about four feet high
Well the playground was three miles long and the playground was five miles wide

It was broken black tarmac with a high wire fence all around
Broken black dusty tarmac with a high fence running all around
And it had a special name to it, they called it The Killing Ground

Got a mother and a father they\'re one thousand years away
The rulers of the Killing Ground are coming out to play
Everybody thinking: ‘Who they going to play with today?’

      Well you get it for being Jewish
      And you get it for being black
      You get it for being chicken
      And you get it for fighting back
      You get it for being big and fat
      Get it for being small
      Oh those who get it get it and get it
      For any damn thing at all

Sometimes they take a beetle, tear off its six legs one by one
Beetle on its black back, rocking in the lunchtime sun
But a beetle can’t beg for mercy, a beetle’s not half the fun

I heard a deep voice talking, it had that iceberg sound
‘It prepares them for Life’ - but I have never found
Any place in my life worse than The Killing Ground.

BACK IN THE PLAYGROUND BLUES

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Gemeente Rotterdam
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Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
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Lira fonds
Versopolis
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