Streets of New York-Bagatelle

[ti:Streets of New York] [ar:Bagatelle] [al:Twenty Fifth Anniversary Collection] [by:] [offset:0] [00:00.12]Streets of New York - Bagatelle [00:01.41] [00:11.16]I was 18 years old [00:13.49]When I went down to Dublin [00:15.84]With a fist full of money [00:18.14]And a cartload of dreams [00:20.62]Take your time [00:21.59]Said my father [00:23.01]Stop rushing like hell [00:25.13]And remember all is not [00:27.41]What it seems to be [00:29.91] [00:30.66]For those fellows would cut you [00:33.11]For the coat on your back [00:35.58]Or the watch that you got [00:37.55]From your mother [00:39.39] [00:40.13]So take care [00:41.31]My young bucko [00:41.92] [00:42.54]And mind yourself well [00:44.73]And will you give this wee note [00:46.96]To my brother [00:48.71] [00:49.41]At the time Uncle Benjy [00:51.79]Was a police man in Brooklyn [00:54.35]And my father [00:55.62]The youngest [00:56.72]Looked after the farm [00:58.86]When a phone call from America [01:01.13]Said send the lad over [01:03.60]And the old fella said [01:05.40]Sure it wouldn't do any harm [01:08.30] [01:09.04]For I'd spent my life working [01:11.63]This dirty old ground [01:14.01]For a few pints of porter [01:16.27]And the smell of a pound [01:18.66]And maybe there's something [01:20.99]You'll learn [01:21.84]Or you'll see [01:22.98]And you can bring it back home [01:25.62]Make it easy on me [01:28.10] [01:29.28]So I landed at Kennedy [01:31.46]And a big yellow taxi [01:33.69]Carried me and my bags [01:35.80]Through the streets [01:36.98]And the rain [01:38.63]My poor heart was thumping [01:40.82]Around with excitement [01:43.14]And I hardly even heard [01:45.41]What the driver was saying [01:47.57]We came in the short parkway [01:50.10]Through the flatlands in Brooklyn [01:52.56]To my uncle's apartment [01:54.86]On east 53rd [01:57.17]I was feeling so happy [01:59.41]I was humming a song [02:01.67]And I sang [02:02.80]You're as free as a bird [02:05.36] [02:06.29]Well to shorten the story [02:08.83]What I found out that day [02:11.15]Was that Benjy [02:12.25]Got shot down [02:13.43]In an uptown foray [02:15.46] [02:15.97]And while I was flying [02:18.12]My way to New York [02:20.58]Poor Benjy was lying [02:22.70]In a cold city morgue [02:25.53] [02:26.20]Well I phoned up the old fella [02:28.77]And told him the news [02:30.92]I could tell [02:31.82]He could hardly [02:33.20]Stand up in his shoes [02:35.60]And he wept as he told me [02:38.12]Go ahead with the plan [02:40.18]And not to forget [02:42.59]Always act like a man [02:44.64] [02:48.54]So I went up to Nellies [02:50.79]Beside Fordham Road [02:52.95]And I started to learn [02:55.27]About lifting the load [02:57.84]But the heaviest thing [02:59.90]That I carried that year [03:02.42]Was the bitter sweet thoughts [03:04.53]Of my home town [03:05.79]So dear [03:06.77] [03:08.19]I went home that December [03:10.53]Because the old fella died [03:12.93]Had to borrow [03:14.01]The money [03:15.07]From Phil on the side [03:17.72]And all the bright flowers [03:19.77]And brass couldn't hide [03:22.29]The poor wasted face [03:24.20]Of my father [03:25.73] [03:26.86]I sold up the old farmyard [03:29.14]For what it was worth [03:31.64]And into my bag [03:33.54]Stuck a handful of earth [03:36.24]And I got me a train [03:38.26]And I boarded a plane [03:40.82]And I found [03:41.55]Myself back [03:43.08]In the US again [03:45.14] [03:46.30]It's been 22 years [03:48.56]Since I've set foot in Dublin [03:51.45]My kids know to use [03:53.16]The correct knife and fork [03:55.89] [03:58.19]But I'll never forget [04:00.53]The green grass [04:01.42]And the rivers [04:03.05]As I keep law and order [04:05.35]In the streets of New York