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

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 G E G
Dm E G E

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

Bridge:
E         Db                         F
Too much, too many people, too much (aha-ha)
E         Db                         G
Too much, too many people, too much, Raaah!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tag:
G         Bb        Ebm
Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh
E         Bb        Ebm
Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh
E         Bb        Db
Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh
Bb                  E              G
Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, Huh, Hee, HUH!

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

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

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

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