The Black Street Gang

The original song, which can be heard in the video at the bottom of this page, was written in 1972. 

It was recorded in 1990.

This version was created in 2025, as was the video.

"I was walking along some long, hard road and the sun was beating down.
Hot and dry and feeling rough, I arrived at this old ghost town.
I decided to stop and look around for any sign of life,
But the place was oh-so-quiet, cut the silence with a knife.
So I sat down to play some slow, sad song, just like I sometimes do,
When a thousand riders, just like that,
Appeared from nowhere, dressed in black,
And they weren't just passing through.

A voice came out of the darkness, and it chilled me to the bone, It said,

'Mister, you lookin' for trouble, you found yourself a home,
'Cos the Black Street Gang like music, but we like it loud and long.
You play it fast, mean and cool, and brother you won't go wrong!'

'Faster, faster, faster, baby, play it faster still,
Fast as fast can be till the Black Street Gang has had its fill!
Faster, faster, faster, baby, faster for your life!
Faster than you've ever played 'for we carve you up with a carving knife!'

The Black Street Gang kept dancing from six 'o clock till late,
I played so loud and long and hard, my every muscle ached.
And when my voice give out, I did not stop or pause for breath,
I knew if I did right there I was half way to an early death.
But when I sought to slow the tempo down a tiny bit.
One thousand ghostly dancers screamed, 'Brother now don't you quit!'

'We want it faster, faster, faster, baby, play it faster still,
Fast as fast can be till the Black Street Gang has had its fill!
Faster, faster, faster, baby, faster for your life!
Faster than you've ever played 'for we carve you up with a carving knife!'

The Black Street Gang, oh, Lord, they never ceased to reel and rock,
Oh, gimme a break, for mercy's sake, oh, I just gotta stop.
The Black Street Gang they devil dance right through till early morn!
I knew I was almost all played out 'cos five of my strings had gone.
The bass string was a slipping and sliding, could not keep it still.
When 'twang' my bottom E was bust, my blood began to chill...

'The Black Street Gang is after you and, man, we're closing in!
Gonna wrap you up in sympathy, inform your next of kin!
Gonna get you, get you, get you, get you, gonna leave a yellow grin,
Oh, baby, you're a born loser, and the Black Gang play to win!
Gonna get get you, get you, get you, get you, with knife and chain and gun,
Gonna get get you, get you, get you, get you, baby, oh, brother you better run!'

Faster, faster, faster, never pause for rest,
Been running from the Black Street Gang from that day till this.
Faster, faster, faster! They can't be far behind!
They'll hunt you down until you drop, the Black Street Gang won't ever stop,
They'll hunt you down until you drop, the Black Street Gang won't ever stop,
They'll hunt you down until you drop, the Black Street Gang won't ever stop,
Until you've lost your mind...

Until you've lost your mind."

The 1990 video below contains the original 1972 audio.