I’d like to ask this town to slow down   Selfish, I know   But I think it’s come to this.   I’m losing my breath and I’d take a break   If I thought I could   But the things I’ve been doing   To keep this town moving   Would surely be missed       From the corner of State and Madison, I cried,   “Chicago Slow Down”   A few folks glanced over   But none broke their stride   That’s when I found       This town it breathes on its own   With or without me   The skyline wakes up whether or not I get out of bed   El trains, they rumble along   And headlines will happen with no help from me   And when I can’t keep it all up   I’ll sing, “La, la, la, la”       It kills me to ask a thing of this town   Not mine alone   A burden I’d hate to be   I’m losing my step   And as I fall back   My life is living itself   But the seeds I’ve been sowin’   Could keep this town goin’   If only she’d wait for me       From the 95th floor, I looked out and I prayed,   “Chicago Slow Down”   But the teeming streets shrugged off   the plea that I had made   That’s when I found