So say one and so say all
Say what you gotta say Or don't say nothing at all
You've been tossin' and turnin' through soft sticky nights
While the Bronx below you fights to stay alive
So say one and so say all
Be what you gotta be Or don't be nothing at all
Be gracious to your mother When you leave this neighbourhood
(The change is going to do her good)
Next to me you look bad
`Cos there ain't no fresh air for my mama, my mama
But the drop is shear When you break away
Take me away
It's just about time to hit the road
And say You gotta believe in something
It's easy to see
My God is fading away
So pick up your bible and pray for me
We're all alone in the darkness
But our eyes are wide open
We don't see nothing
And our hands are tied
To the railings of the Bowery
And the humid city slickers
So say one and so say all
We had a lot to say And we said it all
The cost of livin' in dreams Is rising like a crime wave
(The American way of dying - The American way of dying)
And it gets you every time
And it looks like it's got to my mama My mama
May she rest in peace