So say one and so say all

Say what you gotta say

Or don't say nothing at all

You 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 momma, my momma

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 living in dreams

Is rising like a crime wave

The American way of dying

And it gets you every time

And it looks like it's got to my momma

My momma

May she rest in peace