Rats of New York City

You were raised inside the Roosevelt Hotel
Your parents knew to treat you and they treated you well
You never had to apply yourself to anything at all
But girl you make it work, you wear it well
A combination of fabrics held together by the spell
That everybody falls into
When you walk into the room
Everybody drops their glass and swoons
Here come the Rats of New York City!
Well your daddy was a banker and your momma was a painter
But you never shared those sorts of goals, nah
You worked the other 9 to 5: good posture drunk out in the cold
When it’s time to die remember this
When your paradise has faded and your bones are wearing thin
Remember the garden walls
And the volumes of rare novels
Not to mention all the alcohol
It’s a fucking miracle we ever even lived
Here come the Rats of New York City!
Now, everybody break it down and clap:
Oh when the rats come rushing in
How I’ll hope to be in the Lord’s favor
When the rats come rushing in
When the towers start to fall
How I’ll hope to be in a basement
When the towers start to fall
And when the sirens start to wail
We’ll cut in line with the sinners
When the sirens start to wail
When the earth gets swallowed up
How I’ll hope to God I’ll be riding towards the sky
With Rats of New York riding up behind
And when we rev our engines and reach the other side
We’ll release, we’ll release, we’ll release
And then we’ll close the turnpike — transfiguration day
Open the car doors — let the radio play
We’ll be dancing softly in the light of day
Til the ferry comes and takes you away
To an asylum in the river where you’ll waste away
Now your final procession starts at Avenue A
We march your ashes through the borough towards the West Side Highway
You were the savior, the invader, you had the right of way
Your soul gets swallowed by the Hudson
It’s the river you hate
The preacher signals to the choir
And the boardwalk starts to shake
Now everybody bow your heads and pray: «Thank God for Rats»