Story Behind The Song
In 1998, in the midst of dotcom goldrush, I wrote this cold blues about the greed around me and knowing full well it would all come crashing down sooner or later.
Song Description
a meditation on greed culture and the ills of late capitalism
| Song Length |
3:24 |
Genre |
Electronic - Trip Hop, Blues - Modern |
| Tempo |
Medium Slow (91 - 110) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Cool, Composed |
Subject |
Justice, Power |
| Language |
English |
Era |
1990 - 1999 |
Lyrics
50 stories down
on Seventh Avenue
Which wall to lean the ladder on?
Which wall to lean the ladder on?
Cause with one more rung
and I'll be done buskin' widgets for a dollar
His corner office spies
entire upper west side
meanwhile down below
park pigeons feed on
the fast food crumbs
the humid lint
of his Milano suits
And in the black, black waters
of the Hudson
he flails about mad
mad for some attention
a handsome lifeguard stands
smoking coolly on the pier
Underneath
your chauffeur's wheels
neck deep
in the rush hour plunge
a lone guitarist sings
chasing the blues
away
And in the black, black waters
of the Hudson
he screams aloud help
help me now I'm drowning
a handsome lifeguard stands
smoking coolly on the pier
smoking,
coolly,
on the pier