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Week 295 // Prospecting

by Mount Everest

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Jesse Lindsey
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Gene Lindsey
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about

There have been a lot of songs written about New York. I have certainly added to the pile since I moved here in 2013. It is a hard place not to reflect upon when you are a song writer. Sometimes I ponder the New York songbook, and I'm sorry to say that most of the big hit anthems about this city are awful, pandering propaganda. New York is a city of opportunity for many, but the high cost of living and competitive job market make it a pretty hard place to get by for a lot of folks. "I wanna wake up In a city that doesn't sleep, and find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap..." That's an aspirational sentiment for many, but not everyone can hit it big like Sinatra. Alicia Keys and Jay-Z really stir up the inspiration when they sing about the "concrete jungle where dreams are made of," but then you realize that not everyone's dreams come true. Also, that lyric doesn't even make grammatical sense. I thought I'd try to take New York down a peg this week. New York needs an honest song, perhaps even a cynical song. I know that probably isn't a recipe for a hit, but I never claimed to be Frank Sinatra.

lyrics

The streets are paved with gold
In old New York
I fill my pockets
When I can
At five o'clock
I'm lighting out from here
The hour strikes
I'm my own man

And all the while
The sunlight stares me down
I will not hide behind
A sense of pride
If every whisper
Is a promise made
Then every shout
Must be a lie

The streets have been paved over
The seam is long since mined in this old town

And Christ was born
On Independence Day
He lay his head
In Central Park
And kings from all five boroughs
Bent their knees
And tipped their lovers
In the dark

The streets have been paved over
The seam is long since mined in this old town

credits

released July 11, 2016

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Mount Everest Maine

I’ve been making up a new song every week since 2010.
Follow me on Instagram [mounteverestmusic] and explore more than 600 songs here.

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