So say one and so say all
Say what you gotta say
Or don't say nothing at all
You been tossin' and turnin' through soft sticky nights
While the Bronx below you fights to stay alive 

So say one and so say all
Be what you gotta be
Or don't be nothing at all 

Be gracious to your mother
When you leave this neighbourhood
The change is going to do her good
Next to me you look bad
'Cos there ain't no fresh air for my momma, my momma 

But the drop is shear
When you break away 

Take me away
It's just about time to hit the road
And say
You gotta believe in something
It's easy to see
My God is fading away
So pick up your bible and pray for me 

We're all alone in the darkness
But our eyes are wide open
We don't see nothing
And our hands are tied
To the railings of the Bowery
And the humid city slickers

So say one and so say all
We had a lot to say
And we said it all 

The cost of living in dreams
Is rising like a crime wave
The American way of dying 

And it gets you every time
And it looks like it's got to my momma
My momma
May she rest in peace