Once I hated this city
Now it can’t get me down
Slushy, humid and gritty
What a pretty town
What, thought I, could be duller
More depressing, less gay?
Now my favorite color
Is gray
A wall of rain as it turns to sleep
The lack of sun on a one-way street
I love the grime all the time
And what more do I need?
My window pane has a lovely view
An inch of sky and a fly or two
Why, I can see half a tree
And what more do I need?
The dusk is thick and it’s galling
It simply can’t be excused
In winter even the falling snow looks
Used
My window pane may not give much light
But I see you, so the view is bright
If I can love you, I’ll pay the dirt no heed
With your love, what more do I need?
Someone shouting for quiet
Someone starting a brawl
Down the block there’s a riot
And I’ll buy it all
Listen, now I’m ecstatic
Hold me close and be still
Hear the lovely pneumatic
Drill
A subway train thunders through the Bronx
A taxi horn on the corner honks
But I adore every roar
And what more do I need?
I hear a crane making street repairs
A two ton child running wild upstairs
Steam pipes bang, sirens clang
And what more do I need?
The neighbors yell in the summer
The landlord yells in the fall
So loud I can’t hear the plumber
Pound the wall
An aeroplane roars across the bay
But I can hear you as clear as day
You said you loved me
Above the sound and speed
With your love, what more do I need?