Dar Williams - New York is a Harbor lyrics

[Verse 1] They'll say they knew they would find this They'll tell their children of the day But as they walked Their tailor's chalk Would trace the air There were peeling walls And darkened halls Hot and smoky nights And, yes, they strived But when their boat arrived A statue raised her light [Chorus] And New York is a harbor The dreamers work with calloused hands And who you are Will survive you The pattern fades, the city stands It's New York, it's New York, it's New York [Verse 2] Today you felt the sorrow You thought today you'd pack it in And overhead The billboard said: "We told you so" The poor were gone Or jailed at dawn The robber barons free They stole the yard They broke your heart So much for that liberty [Chorus] But New York is a harbor They're working hard on West 74th To find some beds A free lawyer The midnight oil burns like a torch It's New York, it's New York, it's New York [Bridge] We cheer for the hard luck Joe on payday The dancing girl when she gets to Broadway The workers lunch on a crossbeam in the sky So don't you let yourself forget [Verse 3] A spirit lives on the island She's floating past the Roeblings bridge And in the dark Through Olmsted's park To Harlem's gate Our souls were born On golden horns She can hear them still Some last calls she's been At Stonewall Inn To beat the morning's chill [Chorus] But New York is a harbor It was so then, and ever more It holds a dream Tells a story A distant boat, a golden door It's New York, it's New York, it's New York