"In the Ghetto" (originally titled "The Vicious Circle") is a 1969 song written by Mac Davis and recorded by Elvis Presley.

Eventually in adulthood, the man purchases a gun and steals a car to begin a crime spree, but it is killed shortly after.

The song ends with another child being born the same day in the ghetto, implying that the newborn could meet the same fate, continuing the cycle of poverty and violence.

In 1991, Norman Cook issued a dance version with his Beats International collective, which reached number 44 in the UK charts.

[25] In 1996, the 'Fugees-esque' hip-hop trio Ghetto People had a top ten hit on the German charts with a version recorded with local singer Detlef Malinkewitz [de].

[28] Following the death of Mac Davis, Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker recorded a duet version of the song to honor him.