Smokey Robinson

Clerks at the hotels don't take a chance
Rooms for three dollars pay in advance
Sleep on a mattress, you might get a sheet
But you'd be surprised at the people you meet
Telling their tales of trouble and woe
'Bout how they got down here to skid row

Minnie the moocher begging for dimes
Her life has fallen on difficult times
She was a teacher, got strung out on crack
Went out so far 'til she never got back
When she started teaching, she didn't know
'Bout the school of hard knocks down on skid row

Willie the wino, now ain't it a shame
Sleeping in doorways, he don't know his name
Was a surgical doctor, the top of his class
'Til he started finding his nerve in a glass
A little nip now and then began to grow and grow
He's a missing physician on skid row

Skid row, anywhere USA
You can find them there
Lost sheep who have gone astray
We gotta lift them up in prayer

Oh...

Ooh...

Larry and Lisa, three kids and all
Nowhere to go and no one to call
Larry was working, he was laid off
Lived in a house that wasn't paid off
Went into foreclosure and they had to go
Now they live on the streets down on skid row

Well, well, skid row, anywhere USA
You can find them there
The numbers growing higher everyday
We gotta show them somebody cares
Well, skid row, anywhere USA
You can find them there
Lost sheep who have gone astray
We gotta lift them up in prayer...

Arguably the greatest songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century, Robinson’s timeless creations for Motown, both for his own group and for other artists, provided the ultimate example of what a pop song can be. From The Beatles to Bob Dylan, the rest of the 60s followed in his wake

As if that wasn’t enough, he created a whole new genre in the mid-70s with “quiet storm”, a radio format named after one of his songs. He continues writing and performing today.

more tracks from the album

Double Good Everything

From the album

Double Good Everything (1991)

Smokey Robinson popular songs

Skid RowSmokey Robinson

Smokey Robinson

Double Good Everything