Left my home with just my jeans, my money and a stash
Aimed to Philadelphia, I need a place to crash
Cold in Philadelphia
Cold in Philadelphia
His name was Pasquale and he came here from Sicily
He came here alone at 17 no family
The government told him he was a natural born criminal
Compared to primates and said his intellect was minimal
They told him southern Italians were savages and rapists
But he was only here to look for work and they was racist
He just wanted to find a wife and have children
But had to live in fear because they were Sicilians
Trouble communicating because he ain't speak the language
If you don't know English then you ain't nothing but baggage
Started his own business with some money that he saved up
But nobody supported his business he almost just gave up
Stuck it out, worked hard, livin' in a shanty
Found himself a wife then he had himself a family
He still dealt with discrimination but wasn't mad
And fear is a great motivator in man
Decades later his family comfortable with clout
And most of them will want to build a wall and keep him out!
Excuse me please sir, if you will, can you spare a dime?
Do you have a cigarette to help me pass the time?
Cold in Philadelphia
Cold in Philadelphia
His name Abdullah he here to escape Assad
He need to find a home and a place he can pray to God
A full-scale civil war broke out in Syria
Uprising turned violent country in hysteria
In Syria he a doctor in Philly he sort boxes
His wife and 4 children in a 2 room apartment
He work all hours of the night making garments
His sons worked after school shifts at the market
Airstrikes and raids forced them out of their home
So they left to Jordan overnight prayed to get through
3 years in Jordan then they finally made it here
The older daughters had to go to Spain and disappear
Back in Philly Abdullah struggling to make the rent
Winter coming soon but the heating bill spent
His sons picked on in school, suffer from embarrassment
They been here for a year and only speak Arabic
They stayed where they was, they would be killed by Assad
But the trouble and the struggle is fulfilling to God
Can't find work because my hair has got to be too long
Cold in Philadelphia, I tried to get along
Cold in Philadelphia
Cold in Philadelphia
