Hard times in New York Town

M Sasek, This is New York, 1960

 

Come you ladies and you gentlemen, a-listen to my song

Sing it to you right, but you may think it's wrong

Just a little glimpse of a story I'll tell

'Bout an East Coast city that you all know well

And it's hard times in the city,

Living down in New York Town

 

M Sasek, Harlem is uptown

 

Old New York is a friendly old town

From Washington Heights to Harlem on down

There's a mighty many people all milling all around

They'll kick you when you're up and knock you when you're down

And it's hard times in the city,

Living down in New York Town

M Sasek, Rockefeller Plaza and Empire State

 

 It's a mighty long ways from the Golden gate

To Rockefeller Plaza and the Empire State

Mister Rockefeller sets up as high as a bird

Old Mister Empire never says a word

And it's hard times in the city,

Living down in New York Town

 

 

M Sasek, Men at Work

 

 Well it's up in the morning trying to find a job of work

Stand in one place till your  feet begin to hurt

 

M Sasek, Here is the Staten Island Ferry

 

If you've got a lot of money you can make yourself merry

If you only got a nickel it's the Staten Island Ferry

And it's a hard times in the city

Living down in new York Town

 

M Sasek, The George Washington Bridge spans the Hudson

M Sasek, Okay, okay, I'll throw in another clock

 

 Mister Hudson comes a sailing down the stream

And old Mister Minuet paid for his dream

Bought your city on a one way track

If I had my way I'd sell it right back

And it's hard times in the city

Living down in New York town

 

M Sasek, This is the elegant way to keep the buildings clean

 

I'll take all the smog in Cal-i-for-ne-ay

'n every bit of dust in the Oklahoma plains

'n the dirt in the caves of the Rocky Mountain mines

It's all much cleaner than the New York Kind

And it's hard times in the city,

Living down in New York Town

 

 John Cohen, Bob Dylan in Greenwich Village, New York Town, 1970

 

So all you newsy people, spread the news around:

you can listen to my story, listen to my song,

you can step on my name, you can try and get me beat,

when I leave New York I'll be standing on my feet.

And it's hard times in the city,

Living down in New York Town

Pictures by M. Sasek, This is New York, first published 1960
Words by Bob Dylan, Hard Times in New York Town, first published 1962
Bob picture by John Cohen 1970