New York New York chords by Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five

Chords with lyrics

Album: The Message (1982)
Songwriters: Donald Degrate / Donald Earle De Grate /
Edward O. Ferrell Ii / Joel M Hailey / Richard Cedric Hailey / Dwight Myers
New York New York lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

*NOTE* The song is cut short on this album. For more complete versions,
check (1983) and later productions.

Intro:
E MajorE G+G E MajorE G+G
DmDm E MajorE G+G E MajorE

Hook:
EbmEbm             DbDb
New York New York, big city of dreams
                    FF
And everything in New York ain't always what it seems
E MajorE                      DbDb
You might get fooled if you come from out of town
                   FF
But I'm down by law and I know my way around

Bridge:
E MajorE     DbDb             FF
Too much, too many people, too much (aha-ha)
E MajorE     DbDb             G+G
Too much, too many people, too much, Raaah!

Verse 1:
G+G          DbDb
A augmentedA castle in the sky, one mile high
E MajorE
Built to shelter the rich and greedy
G+G
Rows of eyes, disguised as windows
E MajorE
Looking down on the poor and the needy
         FF
Miles of people, marching up the avenue
E MajorE
Doin? what they gotta do, just to get by
G+G
I'm living in the land of plenty and many
G+G
But I'm damn sure poor and I don't know why

Bridge:
E MajorE
Too much, too many people, too much
G+G     E MajorE             G+G
Too much, too many people, too much!

Verse 2:
G+G                  FF
A augmentedA man's on a ledge, says he's gonna jump
DbDb
People gather round, said, "He won't he's just a chump"
 FF
'Cause he lost his job, then he got robbed
E MajorE              A augmentedA
His mortgage is due and his marriage is through
      E MajorE
He says he ain't gonna pay no child support
                   G+G
Because the bitch left him without a second thought
                    E MajorE
He got nothing to eat, no shoes on his feet
               G+G
She even left his clothes out in the street
                   E MajorE
He keeps hearing noises when he's at home
                   DbDb
He always hears voices when he's all alone
  FF
His wife took the kids, the car and the crib
           G+G
In this man's world, so much for Women's Lib

Hook:
G+G      A augmentedA
New York New York big city of dreams
E MajorE
But everything in New York ain't always what it seems
G+G          DbDb
You might get fooled if you come from out of town
        EbmEbm
But I'm down by law, and I know my way around

Verse 3:
E MajorE
Down in the Village, you might think I'm silly
DbDb
But you can't tell the women from the men sometimes
G+G            E MajorE
They're sugar and spice and everything nice
             G+G
But when you get ?em home ain't no telling what you find
      E MajorE
Right next door is a little old man
         G+G
I seen him eating dog food out of a can
            DbDb
He says, "I got to eat, when I can't afford meat
          E MajorE
I barely can stand, on my own two feet
         G+G
I got a bad habit and I just can't break it
         DbDb
Something?s on my mind and I just can't shake it
         E MajorE
I need some time, and I want some space
             G+G
I gotta get away from the human race?

Bridge:
G+G     E MajorE             G+G
Too much, too many people, too much (aha-ha)
     A augmentedA        E MajorE
Too much, too many people, too much! Raaah!

Verse 4:
E MajorE
Staring at a skyscraper reaching into heaven
G+G
When over in the ghetto I'm livin' in hell
E MajorE
Just play ball or be an entertainer
 G+G
'Cause niggaz like me can't read too well
DmDm        E MajorE
Nobody loves me, nobody cares
            G+G
I dreamed about a life but I'm livin' in a nightmare
     E MajorE
Paranoid schizo, set back, snowbound
         G+G
Bad news psycho, heart attack, breakdown!

Tag:
G+G     Bb majorBb    EbmEbm
Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh
E MajorE     Bb majorBb    EbmEbm
Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh
E MajorE     Bb majorBb    DbDb
Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh
Bb majorBb         E MajorE       G+G
Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, HUH!

Verse 5:
E MajorE                  FF
If only I could sleep just ten more minutes
    E MajorE
I might find the strength to make another day
                G+G
If I didn't have to get up and do my thing
                FF
I would probably sleep my whole life away
E MajorE
I messed up a nice dream, somethin' bout ice cream
              EbmEbm
Whipped cream, fruits and a cherry on top
E MajorE           FF
Now I gotta get up and face the world, huh
E MajorE
The pressure is on, It ain't never gonna stop
G+G
I sho' gotta learn to use my mind
    E MajorE              G+G
I don't want to be kissing nobody's behind
E MajorE
Just standin' on line lookin' like a jerk
G+G
Gotta get off my butt and do a full day's work
E MajorE           FF
I ran into a pothole, got into a car crash
                  E MajorE
Should a been thinking and tried to fake whiplash
                FF
A augmentedA crowd gathered round, they're callin' me fat
          DmDm
Who you lookin' at with a face like that?

Hook:
DmDm          DbDb
New York New York big city of dreams
E MajorE
Everything in New York ain't always what it seems
G+G
You might get fooled if you come from out of town
E MajorE             Bb majorBb
But I'm down by law and I know my way around

Verse 6:
E MajorE
On 42nd Street, lookin' for some action
                     G+G
Women standing on the corner selling satisfaction
          FF
One young punk just leaning on the fence
E MajorE               A augmentedA
Tryin' to make a dollar out of fifteen cents
E MajorE
Billy is a prankster, tried to be a gangster
E MajorE
Real big wheel when a gun is in his hands
E MajorE
Just did a stick-up, just got picked up
               G+G
One dead punk, killed by the man

Outro:
G+G           DbDb
New York New York big city of dreams
                        G+G
And everything in New York ain't always what it seem