They'll say they knew they would find this
They'll tell their children of the day
But as they walked
Their tailor's chalk
Would trace the air

There were peeling walls
And darkened halls
Hot and smoky nights
And, yes, they strived
But when their boat arrived
A statue raised her light

And New York is a harbor
The dreamers work with calloused hands
And who you are
Will survive you
The pattern fades, the city stands
It's New York, it's New York, it's New York

Today you felt the sorrow
You thought today you'd pack it in
And overhead
The billboard said:
"We told you so"

The poor were gone
Or jailed at dawn
The robber barons free
They stole the yard
They broke your heart
So much for that liberty

But New York is a harbor
They're working hard on West 74th
To find some beds
A free lawyer
The midnight oil burns like a torch
It's New York, it's New York, it's New York

We cheer for the hard luck Joe on payday
The dancing girl when she gets to Broadway
The workers lunch on a crossbeam in the sky

So don't you let yourself forget

A spirit lives on the island
She's floating past the Roeblings bridge
And in the dark
Through Olmsted's park
To Harlem's gate

Our souls were born
On golden horns
She can hear them still
Some last calls she's been
At Stonewall Inn
To beat the morning's chill

But New York is a harbor
It was so then, and ever more
It holds a dream
Tells a story
A distant boat, a golden door
It's New York, it's New York, it's New York