[Verse 1: Kevin Godley]
So say one and so say all
Say what you gotta say
Or don't say nothin' at all
You've been tossin' and turnin'
Through soft, sticky nights
While the Bronx below you
Fights to stay alive

[Verse 2: Kevin Godley, Eric Stewart & Lol Creme]
So say one and so say all
Be what you gotta be
Or don't be nothing at all
Be gracious to your mother
When you leave this neighborhood
The change is gonna do her good
Next to me you look bad
'Cause there ain't no fresh air
For my mama, my mama

[Pre-Chorus: Group]
But the drop is sheer
When you break away

[Chorus: Kevin Godley]
Take me away
It's just about time to hit the road
And say you gotta believe
In something
It's easy to see
My God, it's fading away
So pick up your bible
And pray for me
[Bridge: Kevin Godley]
We're all alone in the darkness
But our eyes are open wide
We don't see nothing
And our hands are tied
To the railings of the Bowery
And the humid city slickers

[Verse 3: Kevin Godley, Eric Stewart & Lol Creme]
So say one and so say all
We had a lot to say
And we said it all
The cost of living in dreams
Is rising like the crime wave
The American way of dying
(The American way of dying)
And it gets you every time
And it looks like it's got
To my mama, my mama

[Outro: Group]
May she rest in peace