Chaplin on the Subway

Music ©2004 Marc Ellis
Lyrics ©2004 Marc Ellis, Marcy Jarvis ã Marc Ellis 2005


I saw Chaplin on the subway;
The little tramp was out last night;
I saw him tip his hat and twirl his cane,
As he ambled out of sight;

I saw E.B. White at a traffic light,
Getting out of a Yellow Cab;
He had dined with Dorothy Parker,
And she picked up the tab;

I saw Rene’ Magritte on Forty-Second Street,
Going out to walk his dog;
And I heard him say, “Come Lou Lou,”
As they stepped out from the fog;

I saw Jesus preaching in Union Square
To some NYU students there;
He had clean, white robes,
And pierced ear lobes,

And he asked us for our prayers;
And the Golden Buddha of Chinatown,
In the eyes of a Fukianese girl;
She had crossed a world to be here;
Now New York is her world;

Manhattan is a grand parade,
A nostalgic frame of mind;
Desires grow where two rivers flow;
And your poems don’t always rhyme;
(Children’s chorus or large crowd chorus)

But it’s more than just a city;
And it’s more than just a place;
(Return to vocalist)
And last night, on a Brooklyn-bound,
I swear I saw the face,

Of Chaplain on the subway,
The little tramp was out last night;
I saw him tip his hat and twirl his cane,
As he ambled out of sight. . .