Story Behind The Song

This is a song that was written to protest Americas constant lack of consideration for the inner city. What brought about the subject were the teen heroin overdoses in Plano, Texas in the late nineties. Suddenly all of America was worried about teen drug addiction and consumption. The problem wasn't that we were noticing it, the problem was that kids in the inner city had and have been dealing with these problems for quite sometime now and no one really cared at least not middle America. It wasn't till rich kids from Plano started dying that the problem received national attention. The Second verse is about the shootings in schools in suburban areas. All of a sudden all of these groups popped up and started lobbying for more gun control. None of these people cared about the inner city youth who were shot at an alarming rate all throughout the 80's and 90's. It wasn't till the columbine shootings in a predominantly white area that middle america stood up for gun control. Everything was fine until their lives were affected by violence. It also points out how many of the troubled kids were overlooked by a society with superficial views toward student conduct.

Song Description

This song focuses on the sudden appearance of drug addiction and violence in suburbian america.

Lyrics

Suddenly
Lyrics by José Suaste
This version written on 01/27/03
I know you?re still wondering how it came to be
Drugs killing kids in your community
It can?t happen here, It can?t be seen
We?re not close to the city, it?s supposed to be clean
Thought if you got far enough, it?s not you problem to solve
So now I guess it?s kind of funny how the problem evolved
Rich kids come to city for thrills
Looking for coke, crack, heroin, ecstasy pills
Until they start fallin off, now it?s causing alarm
How could all these kids fall into the way of such harm
Now you?re seeing a problem that you didn?t before
Not limited to brown, black, and only the poor
Now your realizing your were never immune
It just took a little while, but now you?re finally tuned
To the station of reality, trouble, and strife
Suddenly you woke up and caught a glimpse of my life
(Chorus)
All of a sudden, the sickness causing a shakedown
The shit under the rug, we?re seeing the lumps now
Live in the denial, not in my town
From the nerds to the jocks steady passing the pipe around
(2X)
I know you?re still wondering how the shooting spree
Could be waiting for your kids when the clock struck three
This is not the inner city, this is not downtown
This is not the kind of place where people let off rounds
A generation of kids heads held down
Give off all the signs, but no one helped out
So the shots rang loud on the popular crowd
No more teasing in the hallway, no more fucking around
And you say it?s a shame, looking for someone to blame
Said it had to be the music, drove the kid insane
Finger up in the air, point everywhere
Never pointing towards the mirror, the one place you should stare
So now cry to your senate, there?s a problem with guns
We need to implement a law that?s protecting our sons
What about the ones, that never had a choice
Who?ve been dying for years and never had a voice.
(Chorus)
All of a sudden the sickness causing a shakedown
Kids went to school, suddenly shot down.
Live in the denial, not in my town.
But you never think once about the kids who die downtown.
(2X)
This self-esteem bumped and bashed harassed by the badge
Finding it hard to maintain, due to the name that comes last
The only evidence visible, these unpronounceable syllables
That to you read a green light to making me miserable
Abuse the clause in your laws for your probable cause
No hesitate and no pause they?re handing out broken jaws
To anyone in position, to fit a description
You?re under suspicion, cause of your dark skin condition
Tryin to limit ambition, causing all this division
I got a little more vision, not taking me to no prison
Cause these new minds, you can?t blind with half-truths and treachery
There?s no crime and no time that I?ve done to measure me
So never ever again shall we be left behind
Never ever again shall we stand in line
Never stand in line
(Chorus)
All of a sudden there?s a sickness causing a shakedown
People outside hanging around and they?re all brown
I?m calling for backup this shit can?t happen in my town
Time to round them all up and send them all back downtown.
(2X)