Come you ladies and you gentlemen and listen to my song   Sing it to you right, but you might think it's wrong   Just a little glimpse of a story I'll tell   'Bout an east coast city that you all know well   It's hard times in the country, livin' down in New York town      Old New York city is a friendly old town   From Washington Heights to Harlem on down   There's a-mighty many people an' their millin' all around   They'll kick you when you're up and knock you when you're down   It's hard times in the country, livin' down in New York town      Well, the weekend is strong and the rich and the poor   Get there together in roof an' no more   Crowdin' up 'bove and crowdin' down below   And someone disappears, you never even know   And it's hard times from the country, livin' down in New York town      It's a mighty long ways from the Golden Gate   To Rockefeller Plaza n' the Empire State   Mister Empire sits up as high as a bird   And Ol' Mister Rockfeller never says a word   It's hard times from the country, livin' down in New York town      Well, it's up in the mornin' tryin' to find a job of work   Stand in one place till your feet begin to hurt   If you got a lot o' money you can make yourself merry   You only got a nickel, it's the Staten Island Ferry   And it's hard times from the country, livin' down in New York town      Mister Hudson come a-sailin' down the stream   And old Mister Minuet paid for his dream   He bought this city on a one-way track   If I had my way I'd sell it right back   It's hard times from the country, livin' down in New York town      I'll take all the smog in California   And every bit of dust in the Oklahoma plains   And the dirt in the caves of the Rocky Mountain mines   It's all much cleaner than the New York kind   It's hard times in the country, livin' down in New York town      So all you newsy people, spread the news around   You've listen to my story, you've listen to my song   You can step on my name, you can try and get me beat   When I leave New York, I'll be standin' on my feet   And it's hard times from the country, livin' down in New York town