VERSE
All New York's a stage
And all its men and women are very bad actors
How they rant and rage
For food and drink and money,
For those are the factors.
Out of the Bronx and Yonkers
Rushing to earn a wage-
He must be strong who conquers
On the Manhattan stage.
REFRAIN
Act One:
You gulp your coffee and run;
Into the subway you crowd.
Don't breathe-it isn't allowed.
Act Two:
The boss is yelling at you;
You feel so frightened and cowed.
Don't breathe-it isn't allowed.
The rows of skyscrapers are like a canyon,
The sun is hidden 'neath a stony shroud,
Eight million people and not one companion :
Don't speak to anyone-it's not allowed.
Act Three:
You hate the sight of Broadway .
It's just that kind of a play-
Manhattan Melodrama