F# G# Bm F#


[Verse 1]

F#                   G#
Life and death in an alleyway
       Bm                    F#
Just a heartbeat away from a man
F#                        G#
Who's learned to turn his head away
         Bm                   F#
From the pain that drains the land
E                B
Harlem's not too far from here
        Bm                 F#
You can smell the garbage, feel the fear
A7                           Dmaj7
I hear they're gonna build a sky-scraper there
G#m7     C#7    A#m7     D#m7  G#m
As if we didn't need the extra air

C#7


[Chorus]

F#            A#m
New York city blues
            G#m            C#7
In order to win, you gotta lose
F#              A#m
Old before your time
                 G#m7
The dirt and the grime
         C#7
Get into everything
        A#m7           D#m7
And the papers love to say
         Bmaj7               E7
It's the meanest town in the USA
      F#                      B         C#        F#
But I think it's OK, it's the town I've made my home


[Verse 2]

   F#              G#
On another side of Park Avenue
Bm                      F#
Respectable folks don't know
F#                      G#
Hungry eyes take in the view
       Bm                   F#
Of the world that lays them low
E                   B
Too many years on a welfare line
Bm                     F#
The old song and dance time after time
A7                         Dmaj7
You can only get so pushed around
G#m7      C#7   A#m7     D#m7       G#m
Until you wanna tear the damn thing down

C#7


[Chorus]

F#            A#m
New York city blues
            G#m            C#7
In order to win, you gotta lose
F#              A#m
Old before your time
                 G#m7
The dirt and the grime
         C#7
Get into everything
        A#m7           D#m7
And the papers love to say
         Bmaj7               E7
It's the meanest town in the USA
      F#                      B         C#        F#
But I think it's OK, it's the town I've made my home

F#            A#m
New York city blues
            G#m            C#7
In order to win, you gotta lose
F#              A#m
Old before your time
                 G#m7
The dirt and the grime
         C#7
Get into everything
        A#m7           D#m7
And the papers love to say
         Bmaj7               E7
It's the meanest town in the USA
      F#                      B         C#        F#
But I think it's OK, it's the town I've made my home