Manhattan, Kansas ain't no place to have a baby
If you've got no man to give it his last name
And my folks back in Manhattan didn't want me or my bundle
So I took my child and caught an evening train

I got a job in Denver washing dishes in a diner
At least it buys my baby milk to drink
He once told me I was pretty, but the only ring it got me
Was the ring of grease that runs around the sink

Yes, I lay beside him gentle, oh he told me that he loved me
And he made me dance before the music played
But at least I didn't beg him, I'd rather wash my dishes
It makes me feel as if my hands are clean

At night, I stand there thinkin' about the men back home in Kansas
And how my folks just turned away to shame
I look down through the soap suds, reached down and pulled the drain plug
And watch it as Manhattan drains away

Yes, I lay beside him gentle, oh he told me that he loved me
And he made me dance before the music played
But at least I didn't beg him, I'd rather wash my dishes
It makes me feel as if my hands are clean