Wordbloxx

Songs about New York City

2011-09-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

Give My Regards to Broadway

Lyrics and Music by George M. Cohan (1904)

sung by Judy Garland

Give my regards to Broadway!
Remember me to Herald Square!
Tell all the gang at Forty Second Street
That I will soon be there!

Whisper of how I'm yearning
To mingle with the old time throng!
Give my regards to Old Broadway
And say that I'll be there e'er long.

Say "Hello!" to dear old Coney Isle,

If there you have to be,

And when you're at the Waldorf,

You can have a smile, and you can charge it up to me.

You can mention my name every place you go,

As round the town you go,

Wish you'd call my gals, and remember by pals,

Till I get back home.

Give my regards to Broadway!
Remember me to Herald Square!
Tell all the gang at Forty Second Street
That I will soon be there!

Whisper of how I'm yearning
To mingle with the old time throng!
Give my regards to Old Broadway
And say that I'll be there e'er long.

New York State Of Mind

by Billy Joel

Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighbourhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Hollywood
But I'm taking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line
I'm in a New York state of mind

I've seen all the movie stars
In their fancy cars and their limousines
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens
But I know what I'm needing
And I don't want to waste more time
I'm in a New York state of mind

It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News

It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind

It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News

It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind

I'm just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line
'Cause I'm in a New York state of mind.

New York, New York

as sung by Frank Sinatra

composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb. I

Start spreading the news,
I'm leaving today.
I want to be a part of it -
New York, New York.

These vagabond shoes
Are longing to stray
And step around the heart of it
New York, New York.

I want to wake up in a city,
That doesn't sleep,
To find I'm king of the hill- ah-
Top of the heap.

My little town blues
Are melting away
I'm gonna make a brand new start of it
In old New York.
If I can make it there,
I'd make it anywhere
It's up to you,
New York, New York.

New York, New York!

I want to wake up in a city,
That doesn't sleep,
To find I'm king of the hill,
Head of the list,
Cream of the crop
At top of the heap.

My little town blues
Are melting away
I'm gonna make a brand new start of it
In old New York.
If I can make it there,
I'd make it anywhere
Come on, come through,
New York, New York.

Empire State Of Mind

written by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

sung by Alicia Keys

Oooh oooh, New York (2x)

Grew up in a town,
That is famous as a place of movie scenes
Noise is always loud
There are sirenes all around
And the streets are mean
If I could make it here
I could make it anywhere
That’s what they say
Seeing my face in lights
Or my name in marquees found down Broadway

Even if it ain’t all it seems
I got a pocketful of dreams
Baby, I’m from

Chorus
New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There’s nothing you can’t do
Now you’re in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York, New York, New York

On the avenue, there ain’t never a curfew
Ladies work so hard
Such a melting pot on the corner selling rock
Preachers pray to God

Hail a gypsy cab
Takes me down from Harlem to the Brooklyn Bridge
Someone sleeps tonight with a hunger
For more than from an empty fridge

I’m going to make it by any means
I got a pocketful of dreams
Baby, I’m from

Chorus

One hand in the air for the big city
Street lights, big dreams, all looking pretty
No place in the world that can compared
Put your lighters in the air
Everybody say yeah, yeah yeah

Chorus
New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of

There’s nothing you can’t do
Now you’re in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York

Songs about September 11

2011-09-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

Songs about September 11 express different feelings.

On That Day

Leonard Cohen

Some people say it's what we deserve
For sins against God, for crimes in the world
I wouldn't know, I'm just holding the fort
Since that day they wounded New York

Some people say they hate us of old
Our women unveiled, our slaves and our gold
I wouldn't know, I'm just holding the fort
But answer me this, I won't take you to court

Did you go crazy or did you report
On that day, on that day
They wounded New York

The Rising

Bruce Springsteen

Can't see nothing in front of me
Can't see nothing coming up behind
I make my way through this darkness
I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me
Lost track of how far I've gone
How far I've gone, how high I've climbed
On my back's a sixty pound stone
On my shoulder a half mile line.

Come on up for the rising,
Come on up, lay your hands in mine.
Come on up for the rising,
Come on up for the rising tonight

Left the house this morning,
Bells ringing filled the air.
I was wearing the cross of my calling,
On wheels of fire I come rolling down here

Come on up for the rising,
Come on up, lay your hands in mine.
Come on up for the rising,
Come on up for the rising tonight

Spirits above and behind me
Faces gone, black eyes burning bright,
May their precious blood forever bind me,
Lord, as I stand before your fiery light.

I see you, Mary, in the garden,
In the garden of a thousand sighs,
There's holy pictures of our children
Dancing in a sky filled with light.
May I feel your arms around me,
May I feel your blood mix with mine,
A dream of life comes to me
Like a catfish dancing on the end of the line

Sky of blackness and sorrow (a dream of life),
Sky of love, sky of tears (a dream of life),
Sky of glory and sadness (a dream of life),
Sky of mercy, sky of fear (a dream of life),
Sky of memory and shadow (a dream of life),
Your burning wind fills my arms tonight.
Sky of longing and emptiness (a dream of life),
Sky of fullness, sky of blessed life (a dream of life),

Come on up for the rising,
Come on up, lay your hands in mine.
Come on up for the rising,
Come on up for the rising tonight.

Let’s Roll

by Tony McAnany

Blue, white, and red, Red, white and blue
We stand together, carry you.
Blue, white, and red, Red, white and blue
We’ll hold you high, one nation true.

Blue, white, and red, Red, white and blue
With liberty for all.
Blue, white, and red, Red, white and blue
We’re indivisible.

We stand together,
Mercy, love, hope and truth,
Brother with brother, side by side, hand in hand.
Please grant us strength, dear God above, do grant us strength
We’ll shout your name, united as one.

Let’s roll, let’s roll, let’s fight, let’s show the world what’s right
Let’s roll, let’s roll, let’s fight, this spirit is our light
Let’s roll, let’s roll, that’s right, let’s show the world what’s right.
Let’s roll, let’s roll, let’s roll, let’s roll, this spirit is our light

Now’s the time, the time is now,
To lift our souls, remember how we came to be
In God we trust
From sea to shining sea

Now’s the time, the time is now
To revive the spirit and the love,
To revive the faith we find in Him,
In God we trust.

We stand together,
Mercy, love, hope and truth,
Brother with brother, side by side, hand in hand.
Please grant us strength, dear God above, do grant us strength
We’ll shout your name, united as one soul.

Let’s roll, let’s fight, let’s show the world what’s right.
Let’s roll, let’s fight, this spirit is our light.
Let’s roll, let’s fight, let’s show the world our light.
Let’s roll, this spirit is our light.

Let’s roll, here we go, let’s fight, let’s show the world what’s right
Let’s roll, here we go, let’s fight, this spirit is our light
Let’s roll, let’s fight, let’s show the world what’s right.
Let’s roll, gotta roll, gotta roll, this spirit is our light

Here we go, oh yeah, we got to roll, all right, don’t you know the spirit is our light,
Here we go, oh yeah, we got to roll, all right, don’t you know the spirit is our light,
Here we go, we got to roll, don’t you know the spirit is our light,
Let’s roll, let’s roll, let’s roll, let’s roll, unite!

No Sure Way

Loudon Wainwright III

So I started out on High Street -
Had to travel into town.
Like some Orpheus descending
Through a turnstile underground
From Brooklyn Heights into Manhattan,
Which was where I had to be.
Now you have to take the A train,
There's no more service on the C

And when you are underwater
Sometimes the mind plays tricks,
And there beneath the East River
It felt like the river Styx
The first stop was Broadway Nassau -
A few more passengers got in
We all sat - no one was standing
There somewhere we'd never been

They say heaven's high above us,
Hell's not far below
In that subway tunnel
There was no sure way to know

Chambers Street a closed ghost station -
Passing through we seemed to glide
Like prisoners inside compartments
On some house of horrors ride.

The walls were tiled -
I hadn't noticed
They seemed so antiseptically clean
But we knew what we were under
The lights were - on that seemed obscene

And there I saw the three initials
W, T, and then the C
I'd survived somehow was living
But somewhere I shouldn't be
At the next stop the doors opened
And I emerged up above ground
I was in another country –
Elysian Fields no, Chinatown

They say heaven's high above us ,
Hell's somewhere below -
Standing on Canal Street
There was no sure way to know.

They say heaven's high above us,
Hell's not far below
Standing on Canal Street
There was no sure way to go.

Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?

Alan Jackson

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day -
Out in the yard with your wife and children?
Working on some stage in LA?
Did you stand there in shock at the site of that black smoke
Rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger in fear for your neighbor?
Or did you just sit down and cry?

Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones,
And pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below?

Did you burst out in pride for the red white and blue?
The heroes who died just doing what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer?
And look at yourself to what really matters?

Chorus
I'm just a singer of simple songs,
I'm not a real political man,
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you,
The difference in Iraq and Iran,
But I know Jesus and I talk to God,
And I remember this from when I was young,
Faith, hope and love are some good things he gave us,
And the greatest is love.

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day -
Teaching a class full of innocent children?
Driving down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor?
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?

Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened?
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages?
Speak with some stranger on the street?
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow?
Go out and buy you a gun?
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns?

Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger?
Stand in line and give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family,
Thank God you had somebody to love?

Chorus (x 2)

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?

Songs - September 6, 2011

2011-09-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

Some of these songs are about love, and some are about the weather - a mixed bag.

Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay

Otis Redding and Steve Cropper

Sitting in the morning sun,
I'll be sitting when the evening comes.
Watching the ships roll in,
Then I watch 'em roll away again.

I'm sitting on the dock of the bay,
Watching the tide roll away.
I'm just sitting on the dock of the bay
Wasting time.

I left my home in Georgia,
Headed for the 'Frisco bay,
'Cause I've had nothing to live for
And look like nothing's going come my way.

So I'm just gonna sit on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away.
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay,
Wasting time.

Look like nothing's going change,
Everything still remains the same.
I can't do what ten people tell me to do,
So I guess I'll remain the same.

Sitting here resting my bones,
And this loneliness won't leave me alone.
It's two thousand miles I roamed,
Just to make this dock my home

Now, I'm just going to sit at the dock of the bay,
Watching the tide roll away.
Sitting on the dock of the bay,
Wasting time.

I Want To Go Outside In The Rain

by Tony Hester

I wanna go outside in the rain
It may sound crazy
But I wanna go outside in the rain

Now I think I'm gonna cry
And I don't want you to see me cry

I wanna go outside in the rain
It may sound crazy
But I wanna go outside in the rain

Once the rain starts fallin'
On my face (on my face)
You won't see a single trace,

But the tears I'm crying
Because of you I'm crying
Don't want you to see me cry
Let me go, let me go, let me go
(In the rain)

Once the sun comes out
And the rain is gone away,
I know I'm gonna see
A better day.

But right now I think I'm crying
Because of you I'm crying
Don't want you to see me cry
Let me go, let me go, let me go
(Outside)
In the rain (in the rain)

I Can See Clearly Now

sung by Johnny Nash

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s going to be a bright, bright sun-shiny day.
It’s going to be a bright, bright sun-shiny day.

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been praying for
It’s going to be a bright, bright sun-shiny day.

Look all around, there’s nothing but blue skies,
Look straight ahead, nothing but blue skies.

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s going to be a bright, bright sun-shiny day.
It’s going to be a bright, bright sun-shiny day.

I'll Be There

Jackson 5

You and I must make a pact,
We must bring salvation back
Where there is love
I'll be there.

I'll reach out my hand to you
I'll have faith in all you do
Just call my name
And I'll be there.

I'll be there to comfort you,
Build my world of dreams around you
I'm so glad that I found you

I'll be there with a love that's strong
I'll be your strength; I'll keep holdin' on

Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter
Togetherness, girl it's all I'm after
Whenever you need me
I'll be there, I'll be there

I'll be there to protect you
Yeah baby
With a non-selfish love that respects you
Just call my name
And I'll be there, I'll be there

I'll be there to comfort you
Build my world of dreams around you
I'm so glad that I found you

I'll be there with a love so strong
I'll be your strength; I'll keep holdin' on
chorus: holdin' on, holding on, holdin' on, holdin on'

If you should ever find someone new
I know he'd better be good to you
'Cause if he doesn't
I'll be there, I'll be there

Don't you know baby yeah yeah
I'll be there, I'll be there
Just call my name, I'll be there

Just look over your shoulders, honey,
I'll be there, I'll be there
Whenever you need me,
I'll be there.

Tonight from West Side Story
by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein

sung by Christina Andreoni

Tonight, tonight,
Won't be just any night -
Tonight there will be no morning star.

Tonight, tonight,
I'll see my love tonight,
And for us stars will stop where they are.

Today, the minutes seem like hours,
The hours go so slowly
And still the sky is light.

Oh moon, glow bright,
And make this endless day, endless night
Tonight.

Today, the world was just an address
A place for me to live in
No better than all right

But here you are
And what was just a world, is a star
Tonight.

Songs To Learn English - Special Requests

2011-08-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

These songs were requested by members of our conversation group.

There’s A Place For Us
By Leonard Bernstein

There's a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us - Somewhere.

There's a time for us,
Some day a time for us,
Time together with time spare,
Time to learn, time to care,
Some day! Somewhere.

We'll find a new way of living,
We'll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere . . .

There's a place for us,
A time and place for us.
Hold my hand and we're halfway there.
Hold my hand and I'll take you there
Somehow,
Some day,
Somewhere!

500 Miles
sung by Peter Paul & Mary

If you miss the train I'm on, you will know that I am gone
You can hear the whistle blow a 100 miles,
A hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles,
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles.

Lord I'm one, Lord I'm two, Lord I'm three, Lord I'm four,
Lord I'm 500 miles from my home.
500 miles, 500 miles, 500 miles, 500 miles
Lord I'm 500 miles from my home.

Not a shirt on my back, not a penny to my name
Lord I can't go a-home this a-way
This a-away, this a-way, this a-way, this a-way,
Lord I can't go a-home this a-way.

If you miss the train I'm on you will know that I am gone
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles.

Lean On Me
Lyrics by Bill Withers

Sometimes in our lives
We all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow

Chorus
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long, 'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you won't let show

You just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'd understand
We all need somebody to lean on

Chorus
If there is a load you have to bear
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
If you just call me
Call me (if you need a friend)
Call me (Call me)
(Repeat x 3)

Stand by Me
by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me

If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me-e, yeah

Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me
Darlin', darlin', stand by me-e, stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

Imagine
by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Positive Songs

2011-08-21T13:59:00.001-07:00

There's A Place for Us

By Leonard Bernstein
Sung by Sarah Brightman

Lyrics

There's a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us

Somewhere.

There's a time for us,
Some day a time for us,
Time together with time spare,
Time to learn, time to care,
Some day!

Somewhere.
We'll find a new way of living,
We'll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere . . .

There's a place for us,
A time and place for us.
Hold my hand and we're halfway there.
Hold my hand and I'll take you there
Somehow,
Some day,
Somewhere!

It's A Wonderful World

By Bob Thiele and George David Weiss (and possibly) George Douglas
Sung by Louis Armstrong

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom, for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces, of people going by
I see friends shaking hands, sayin', "How do you do?"
They're really sayin', "I love you"

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
They'll learn much more, than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world, Oh yeah

Three Little Birds

By Bob Marley

"Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin': "Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!"

Rise up this mornin',
Smiled with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', ("This is my message to you-ou-ou:")

(Repeat)

My Wish

By Rascal Flatts

Verse 1

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

Chorus
But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

Verse 2
I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

Chorus x 2

This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big.

House Vocabulary

2011-08-20T19:05:00.000-07:00