Name: New York City
Channel: Neal Bernard
Description: True story, folks... really happened.

True story, folks... really happened.

We specialize in real live rock & roll, genuine blues, imitation reggae and serious comedy.

I began my musical life on clarinet and sax in 1963. I grabbed a guitar when the Monkees first came on TV (I was a kid, forgive me).

Song Info

Genre

Rock • Surf Rock

Charts

#491 in subgenre Peak #2

Charts

Peak #57

Author

Neal Bernard

Rights

2000 Neal Bernard

Uploaded

March 12, 2004

Track Files

MP3

MP3 3.7 MB • 128 kbps • 0:00

Story behind the song

In October, '86 I was to be on Letterman (as a comedian). I got bumped by the guy that parachuted into the Whirled Series. I made note of things I saw on the walk back to my hotel and wrote this song there.

Lyrics

I was walking down a city street taking everything in stride
I was smiling on the outside, I had my eyes both opened wide
Had my left hand on my wallet, had my right hand on my keys 
I had a constant shot of the sidewalk There was acute absence of trees 

(chorus) So this is New York City 
Man this is right downtown 
They say life here ain't too pretty 
There's just too much going down 
In New York City 

In the corner of the market stands a woman with one shoe 
She is staring at the produce like she don't know what to do 
On the corner there's a sandwich and an empty bottle too 
And a blind man with a guitar crying out the one suit blues to me 
(chorus) 
The ambulance pulls away from the sidewalk up ahead 
All around me people staring at the wounded and the dead 
There's an endless sea of faces flowing by me every day 
Some are living, some are dying and I don't know what to say 
(chorus)