Peter Gabriel performs Tom Waits’ song “In the Neighborhood” as part of The Voice Project, a music based initiative to raise awareness and support for the war torn areas of Northern Uganda, Southern Sudan, Eastern Congo and CAR. Artists have been recording cover songs as links in musical chains that began with a small group of widows and rape survivors in Uganda. The women there have been using songs to send messages of forgiveness to those abducted and forced to fight, many of hide in the bush, afraid to return home.

The Voice Project employs this same idea of using music to pass the message as each artist covers another artist’ song creating a chain of melodies. Now Gabriel has passed it to Tom Waits.” “I’ve wanted to sing Tom Waits’ ‘In the Neighborhood’ for a long time and this was a great opportunity.” Gabriel explains. “I love the idea that a song can reach people that can’t be touched in any other way.”

Well the eggs chase the bacon
round the fryin’ pan
and the whinin’ dog pidgeons
by the steeple bell rope
and the dogs tipped the garbage pails
over last night
and there’s always construction work
bothering you
In the neighborhood, In the neighborhood, In the neighborhood

Friday’s a funeral
and Saturday’s a bride
Sey’s got a pistol on the register side
and the goddamn delivery trucks
they make too much noise
and we don’t get our butter
delivered no more
In the neighborhood, In the neighborhood, In the neighborhood

Well Big Mambo’s kicking
his old grey hound
and the kids can’t get ice cream
’cause the market burned down
and the newspaper sleeping bags
blow down the lane
and that goddamn flatbed’s
got me pinned in again
In the neighborhood, In the neighborhood, In the neighborhood

There’s a couple Filipino girls
gigglin’ by the church
and the windoe is busted
and the landlord ain’t home
and Butch joined the army
yea that’s where he’s been
and the jackhammer’s diggin’

up the sidewalks again,

In the neighborhood, In the neighborhood, In the neighborhood

For more information on The Voice Project, click here.