Got into town on a Saturday night

With a Fender guitar and I checked out the sights

And I drank my way down to the Lower East Side

Coz I was nuts about Thunders and Suicide

Then I formed a band called the Major Thinkers

With a couple of musicians and some heavy drinkers

And I went up to Max's and I said, "Hey man,

I'm gonna blow your club right off the map"



New York, New York what have you done

You've wrecked me 'til I have become

Half the man I might have been

Half the hero of my dream

New York, New York it's over now

You beat me still I know somehow

Just for once I'm gonna prove you wrong

Just to show you I was right all along



Well I met Sheila down at Blanche's bar

She was dressed all in black and her heart was a scar

She took me back to Avenue C

We were happy there, her and me

'Til a man from the Black Rock saw the band

And he said "You dudes are just sizzling hot and

We're gonna cut a record and make you all stars

But first things first, sign your soul away here...



Yeah we cut a song about Avenue B

And the boxes boomed it all over the streets

But the record company screwed us all up

And Sheila went off and joined the scientology church

Then Mike stopped a bullet in Staten Island

And my whole world turned ultra violent

But there's one last thing I gotta see through

There's one last thing I gotta say to you



Oh Sheila, baby, give me one more chance

I've just gone and started Black '47

I don't care about the money, you can keep the fame

I just want to beat this city at its own dumb game