[Intro] [Verse 1] Life and death in an alleyway Just a heartbeat away from a man Who’s learned to turn his head away From the pain that drains the land Harlem’s not too far from here You can smell the garbage feel the fear I hear they’re gonna build a sky-scraper there As if we didn’t need the extra air [Chorus] New York city blues In order to win you gotta lose Old before your time The dirt and the grime Get into everything And the papers love to say It’s the meanest town in the USA But I think it’s OK it’s the town I’ve made my home [Verse 2] On another side of Park Avenue Respectable folks don’t know Hungry eyes take in the view Of the world that lays them low Too many years on a welfare line The old song and dance time after time You can only get so pushed around Until you wanna tear the damn thing down [Chorus] New York city blues In order to win you gotta lose Old before your time The dirt and the grime Get into everything And the papers love to say It’s the meanest town in the USA But I think it’s OK it’s the town I’ve made my home New York city blues In order to win you gotta lose Old before your time The dirt and the grime Get into everything And the papers love to say It’s the meanest town in the USA But I think it’s OK it’s the town I’ve made my home