Five Nights of Bleeding (for Leroy Harris) Songtext
von Poet and the Roots

Madness, madness
Madness tight on the heads of the rebels
The bitterness erupts like a heart blast
Broke glass, ritual of blood an′ a-burnin'
Served by a cruel infightin′
Five nights of horror and of bleedin'
Broke glass, cold blades as sharp as the eyes of hate
And the stabbin'
It′s war amongst the rebels
Madness, madness, war


Night number one was in Brixton
Sofrano B sound system
It was a-beatin′ up the riddim with a fire
Comin' down his reggae reggae wire
It was a sound checkin′ down your spinal column
A bad music tearin' up your flesh
And the rebels dem start a fighting
De youth dem just turn wild
It′s war amongs' the rebels
Madness, madness, war

Night number two down at Sheppard′s
Right up Railton road
It was a night name Friday when everyone was high on brew or drew
A pound or two worth of Kali
Sound comin' down of the king's music iron
The riddim just bubblin′ an′ backfirin'
Ragin′ an' risin′
When suddenly the music cut -
Steel blade drinkin' blood in darkness
It′s war amongs' the rebels
Madness, madness, war


Night number three, over the river
Right outside the Rainbow
Inside James Brown was screamin' soul
Outside the rebels were freezin′ cold
Babylonian tyrants descended
Bounced on the brothers who were bold
So with a flick of the wrist, a jab and a stab
The song of hate was sounded
The pile of oppression was vomited
And two policemen wounded
Righteous, righteous war

Night number four at the blues dance, abuse dance
Two rooms packed and the pressure pushin′ up
Hot, hotheads
Ritual of blood in the blues dance
Broke glass splintering, fire
Axes, blades, brain blast
Rebellion rushin' down the wrong road
Storm blowin′ down the wrong tree
And Leroy bleeds near death on the fourth night
In a blues dance, on a black rebellious night
It's war amongst the rebels
Madness, madness, war

Night number five at the telegraph
Vengeance walk thru de doors
So slow, so smooth
So tight and ripe and - smash!
Broke glass, a bottle finds a head
And the shell of the fire heard - cracks!
The victim feels fear
Finds hands, holds knife, finds throat
Oh, the stabbins and the bleedin′ and the blood
It's war amongs′ the rebels
Madness, madness, war