I was born in
New york city on a monday
I was out shining shoes

By tuesday noon

All the bad cats in the bad hats

Doing me a real big favor
Got the bad cats in the bad hats
Laying it on real good


Here's a dime, boy
Gimme a shine, boy


When the cold wind comes
It lives in new york city

And the street's no place to be
But there you are


So you try hard or you die hard
No one really gives a good damn
You try hard and you die hard

Nobody gives a damn

Here's a dime, boy

Gimme a shine, boy

Down and out in new york city

Ain't nowhere to be
Where can you do when you're
Down and out in new york city


Never, never, never
Gonna get that way again

No, no, no, no, no, not me

When you need a friend

Need to have a
When you want a friend


Gonna get myself together
In the morning
Gonna leave it all

I want that dream

All the bad cats in the bad hats

Doing me a real big favor
Got the bad cats in the bad hats
Laying it on real good


Here's a dime, boy
Gimme a shine, boy


Gimme a shine, boy
Gimme a shine, hey


Down and out in new york city
Ain't nowhere to be

Where can you do when you're
Down and out in new york city


Said i'm never, never, never
Gonna get that way again
No, no, no, no, not me


When you need a friend
Troubled mind

When you need a friend
Got a troubled mind


Ain't nobody gonna
Give you one thin dime


Friends can be cruel sometimes
Can be sweet but what
What bugs a man, what hurts a man

Is when you give him a drink
Just can't get nothing to eat

That's new york city
That's new york city

New york city

One-hundred and twenty-five street
The bricks, eight avenue