[Verse 1]
Ginger Elvis Presley
Looked a fraction sad
Roaming the whole town
From bin to bin
Well, living on the streets
Wasn't all that bad
Where no one seemed to know
That he was King
[Pre-Chorus 1]
The sound of New York City
Isn't police sirens wailing
It's the sound of Wall Street tills
Whilst everyone else is failing
[Chorus 1]
Sometimes you feel expensive
Sometimes you feel so cheap
You can roam the streets a king
Whilst everyone's asleep
You can mime to any record
With a hairbrush or a spoon
But God help the singer
Out of tune
[Verse 2]
A crippled Mohammad Ali
Looked at bad luck in the mirror
Bad luck looked back at him
And sighed
He looked a good foot smaller
And a couple of stone thinner
And if anyone came toward him
He would hide
[Pre-Chorus 2]
The sound of North America
Isn't Christians quietly praying
It's the sound of shuffling feet
That don't know where they're staying
[Chorus 2]
Sometimes you feel expensive
Sometimes you feel so cheap
You can roam the streets a king
Whilst everyone's asleep
You can fight with anybody
With a glimmer of a chance
But God help the boxer
With no hands
[Verse 3]
A homeless Greta Garbo
Moves across the street
The moonlight shining clearly
Through her skirt
A real life living legend
That no one wants to meet
And that's when being Garbo
Really hurts
[Pre-Chorus 3]
The lyrics of 'New York'
May have Frank Sinatra singing
But the rhythm and the melody
Were dead black men swinging
[Chorus 3]
Sometimes you feel expensive
Sometimes you feel so cheap
You can roam the streets a queen
Whilst everyone's asleep
You can act with anybody
From the cradle to the crypt
But God help the actress
Who doesn't know the script