LT → Collections → Songs and Poems about the Homeless

Songs and Poems about the Homeless

Created by maluca on 30 Mar 2018 | Last edited by maluca on 15 Apr 2018

Homelessness is a problem all over the world...

Thanks!thanked 3 times
Song | English Ralph McTell

Translations:  German Serbian Persian 3 more
Song | German Jasmine Bonnin

German version of "Streets of London"

Translations:  English
Song | English Townes Van Zandt

Translations:  Spanish German French
Song | Portuguese Angélica Freitas

Translations:  Italian French German
Song | English Bruce Springsteen

Translations:  French Serbian Romanian 6 more
Song | English Bruce Springsteen

Translations:  French Turkish Greek 2 more
Song | English Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Song | English Bing Crosby

Translations:  Turkish Russian German
Song | French Gérard Manset

Translations:  English
Song | German Kirsti Sparboe

Translations:  English
Song | English Merle Haggard

Song | English W.D. Hay

Song | French Claudio Capéo

Translations:  English Italian Spanish 8 more
Song | Spanish Sui Generis

Translations:  English French German 2 more
Song | English John Lee Hooker

Translations:  German Russian
Song | English Woody Guthrie

Translations:  German
Song | English Soko

Translations:  German Spanish
Song | Spanish Joaquin Sabina

Translations:  Romanian English Italian 1 more
Song | French GiedRé

Translations:  English Russian
Song | English Phil Collins

Translations:  Greek Serbian French 13 more
Comments
SaintMark    Fri, 30/03/2018 - 00:12

streets of philadelphia - bruce springsteen
soup is good food - dead kennedys

maluca    Fri, 30/03/2018 - 00:50

"Soup is Good Food" doesn't explicitly mention homelessness though...

petit élève    Fri, 30/03/2018 - 00:57

...but it does implicitely. It's still about social death, isn't it?

maluca    Fri, 30/03/2018 - 01:18

It's about getting kicked out of your job, but that doesn't necessarly mean you become homeless. In this collection I want to focus on homelessness.

SaintMark    Fri, 30/03/2018 - 01:32

in a country with social welfare, losing your job means decreased quality of life. in a country without. you're homeless.
source: I was homeless once. but its your collection so its your call.

maluca    Fri, 30/03/2018 - 01:45

Unsure about this song, too. A boy freezing to death outside at christmas time. But was he homeless, living on the street? Or did he just have a fight with his cruel family and they locked him out to "teach him a lesson"?

Josemar    Fri, 30/03/2018 - 16:14

From my standpoint, the boy was homeless Sad smile

petit élève    Fri, 30/03/2018 - 03:39

There are a few songs on the topic in French pop, but they are so ignorant of the reality that I rather feel embarrassed by their lyrics. It seems that's one of the greatest taboo in our rich and well-behaved country. The few people who sing about it obviously have no idea what a year or two in the street do to a human being, and yet apparently that doesn't stop them speaking in their stead and serving us platitudes that are so odiously wrong it makes me cringe.
There is this song though. Manset has the decency and intelligence of simply asking questions instead of serving us yet another "little match girl" story. The only song worthy of respect on the subject I can think of.

petit élève    Fri, 30/03/2018 - 13:40

What right has this guy to speak for the homeless? He obviously has no clue what he's talking about. If he had spent just a few weeks working with real hobos, he would not dare say the things he says. The horror of living in the street is just not concievable for well-fed middle-class rich kids. Living in the street is about violence, suffering and hopelessness. Springsteen got it right. The Dead Kennedys got it right. This guy didn't even come close.
Oh well, sorry. This is just a subject I happen to know relatively well, and I can be a bit vocal about it.

phantasmagoria    Fri, 30/03/2018 - 14:06

You know you're (and anyone else, for that matter) more than free to voice your opinion on something I've said, I take no offense. Just a little tid bit of trivia there, the song probably alludes to homelessness or even missed opportunities, but probably doesn't truly cover the subject Regular smile

azucarinho    Sat, 31/03/2018 - 07:35

Frank Sinatra - Love's Been Good to Me

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