[Hook:Melle Mel] Ah New York New York big city of dreams And everything in New York ain't always what it seems You might get fooled if you come from out of town But I'm down by law and I know my way around, too much Ah too many people, too much -- a ha hah Too much, too many people, too much, rrrrrrrah! [Verse 1: Melle Mel] A castle in the sky, one mile high Built to shelter the rich and greedy Rows of eyes, disguised as windows Lookin down on the poor and the needy Miles of people, marchin up the avenue Doin what they gotta do, just to get by I'm livin in the land of plenty and many But I'm damn sure poor and I don't know why [Bridge: Melle Mel] Too much, ah too many people, too much Too much, too many people, too much! [Verse 2: Duke Bootee] A man's on a ledge, says he's gonna jump People gather round, said, "He won't he's just a chump" Cause he lost his job, then he got robbed His mortgage is due and his marriage is through He says he ain't gonna pay no child support Because the b**h left him without a second thought He got nothin to eat, no shoes on his feet She even left his clothes, out in the street He keeps hearin noises when he's at home He always hears voices when he's all alone His wife took the kids, the car and the crib In this man's world, so much for women's lib [Hook:Duke Bootee] New York New York big city of dreams But everything in New York ain't always what it seems You might get fooled if you come from out of town But I'm down by law, and I know my way around [Verse 3: Duke Bootee] Down in the Village, you might think I'm silly But you can't tell the women from the men sometimes They're sugar and spice and everything nice But when you get em home ain't no tellin what you find Right next door is a little old man I seen him eatin dog food out of a can He says, "I got to eat, when I can't afford meat I barely can stand, on my own two feet" I got a bad habit and I just can't break it Somethin's on my mind and I just can't shake it I need some time, and I want some space I gotta get away from the human race [Bridge: Melle Mel] Too much, ah too many people, too much... a-ha hah Too much, ah too many people, too much! Rrrrrrrah! [Verse 3: Melle Mel] Stand at a skyscraper reachin into heaven When over in the ghetto I'm livin in hell Just play ball or be an entertainer Cause n***as like me can't read too well Nobody loves me, nobody cares I dreamed about a life but I'm livin in a nightmare Paranoid schitzo, set back, snowbound Bad news psycho, heart attack, breakdown! Hee, huh (16X) HUH! [Verse 4: Melle Mel] If only I could sleep just ten more minutes I might find the strength to make another day If I didn't have to get up, and do my thing I would probably sleep my whole life away I messed up a nice dream, somethin bout ice cream Whipped cream fruits and a cherry on top Now I gotta get up and face the world, huh The pressure is on it ain't never gonna stop I sho' gotta learn to use my mind I don't wanna be kissin nobody's behind Just standin on line lookin like a jerk Gotta get off my bu*t and do a full day's work I ran into a pothole, got into a car crash Shoulda been thinkin and tried to fake whiplash A crowd gathered round, they're callin me fat Who you lookin at wit a face like that? [Hook:Melle Mel] New York New York big city of dreams Everything in New York ain't always what it seems You might get fooled if you come from out of town But I'm down by law and I know my way around [Verse 5: Melle Mel] On 42nd Street, lookin for some action Women standin on the corner sellin satisfaction One young punk just leanin on the fence Tryin to make a dollar out of fifteen cents Really is a prankster, tried to be a gangster Real big wheel when a gun is in his hands Just did a stick-up, just got picked up One dead punk, k**ed by the man [Hook:Melle Mel] New York New York big city of dreams And everything in New York ain't always what it seem You might get fooled if you come from out of town But I'm down by law and I know my way around Too much, too many people, too much... ah ha hah hah Too much, too many people, too much! HUAHH! [Verse 6:Melle Mel] A baby cries and a mother dies And the tears fall from the doctor's eyes because In this room, on this day The Good Lord has giveth, and taketh away, huh The gift of life really means a lot And in the ghetto your life is all you got So you take to the streets, tryin to exist In the trash and slime of a world like this What you watch, on TV A tells you what life is supposed to be But when you look outside the only thing you see Is the poverty stricken, reality, heh Abandoned places, angry faces Much hate and hunger throughout the races You say, "I'm grown and I'm on my own So why don't everybody just leave me alone!" Now you stay at home, talkin on the phone Doin ninety miles an hour in the fifty mile zone They never took the time to tell you bout s** So you had to learn about it in the discotheques Nine months later, the baby is there And the n***a that did it said, "I don't care!" You don't have enough money to help feed two So you have to choose between the baby and you The sky was cryin, rain and hail When you put yo' baby in the garbage pail Then you kissed the kid and put down the lid And you tried to forget what you just did, huh The muffled screams of a dyin baby Was enough to drive the young mother crazy So she ran in the rain tryin to ease the pain Huh huh, and she drove herself insane [Hook:Melle Mel] New York New York big city of dreams But everything in New York ain't always what it seem You might get fooled if you come from out of town But I'm down by law and I know my way around [Bridge: Melle Mel] Ah too much, too many people, too much... ah ha hah hah Too much, too many people, too much! HUHHH! [Hook: Melle Mel] New York New York big city of dreams But everything in New York ain't always what it seems You might get fooled if you come from out of town But I'm down by law and I know my way around Too much, too many people, too much... ha hah hah hah Too much, too many people, too much