New York in the Seventies

Long Beach early in the morning
I'm walking the boardwalk by the sea
I'm with my little boy, he's not sleeping too well
My little boy is a lot like me

And I came home late from the city
I was in the Village having fun
All the queens were coming out on Christopher Street
And a new age had begun

I'm in a long line of lovers
Who came to New York looking for the Muse
I found her waiting tables on Bleecker Street
To pay for her dancing shoes

I played the Gaslight and Gerde's Folk City
The Bitter End and the occasional bar
I played the game of money and fame
'Cause everybody wants to be a star

And I had my share of intoxication
I did a few drugs and drank too much Uncle Jack
But I stopped in time when I saw the signs
And I knew I had to get back

And I'm in a long line of lovers
Who came to New York looking for the Muse
I found her waiting tables on Bleecker Street
To pay for her dancing shoes

And the Vietnam War was still raging
They were singing protest songs in Washington Square
Too many guys just never came home
'Cause not enough people cared

And those who made it back were looking lost and confused
Was it a victory or a tactical retreat?
Either way, it left a wound in America's heart
To see them sleeping out on the street

I'm in a long line of lovers
Who came to New York looking for the Muse
I found her waiting tables on Bleecker Street
To pay for her dancing shoes

Thirty years later and I'm thinking
I'm still here and some of my friends are gone
My little boy is grown, he's got a son of his own
Everybody's got to sing their own song

I came back to Long Beach and I'm looking out at the sea
I'm standing in a warm summer haze
I can see these times like I'm in a picture show
New York in the seventies

I'm in a long line of lovers
Who came to New York looking for the Muse
I found her waiting tables on Bleecker Street
To pay for her dancing shoes

Long Beach early in the morning
I'm walking the boardwalk by the sea
I'm with my little boy, he's not sleeping too well
My little boy is a lot like me
My little boy is a lot like me