Lyrics Dirty Blvd. - Live at Wembley Arena, London, UK, 7/14/89 - Lou Reed

New York, we got these hotels where you put poor people
They're called welfare hotels
So, that's what this here song's about
It's called the Dirty Boulevard

Pedro lives out of the Wilshire Hotel
Looks out a window without glass
The walls are made of cardboard, newspapers on his feet
And his old man beats him because he's too tired to beg

He's got nine brothers and sisters, they're brought up on their knees
It's hard to run when a coat hanger hits you on the thighs
Pedro dreams of being older and killing the old man
But that's a slim chance, he's going to the boulevard

He's going out to the dirty boulevard
Going down to the dirty boulevard
Get it out to the dirty boulevard
Going down

This room cost 2000 dollars a month, and believe it babe, it's true
Somewhere landlord's laughing 'till he wets his pants
No one dreams of being a doctor, or a lawyer, or anything
They dream of dealing on the boulevard

Give me your hungry, your tired, your poor, I'll piss on 'em
That's what the Statue of Bigotry says
Your poor huddled masses, why don't we just go club 'em to death
Get it over with and drop 'em on the boulevard

Get it out to the dirty boulevard
Going down to the dirty boulevard
Get it on to the dirty boulevard
Going down

Outside it's a bright night, there's an opera at Lincoln Center
The movie stars arrive by limousine
The klieg lights shoot up over the Manhattan skyline
But the lights are out on the mean streets

A small kid stands by the Lincoln Tunnel
Selling plastic roses for a buck
Traffic's backed up to 39th Street
The TV whores are calling the cops out for a suck

Back at the Wilshire, Pedro sits there dreaming (get it, get it)
Found a book on magic in a garbage can (get it, get it)
Looks at the pictures, stares up at the cracked ceiling (get it, get it)
"By the count of three, baby, I hope I can disappear" (get it, get it)

"And fly, fly away, to the dirty boulevard
I want to fly, to the dirty boulevard
Fly away, to the dirty boulevard
I want to fly"

I want to fly
Fly, fly away
I want to fly
Oh, baby, fly away
I wanna Fly (fly, fly, fly away)
Fly away (fly, fly, fly away)
I want to fly (fly, fly, fly away)
Fly, fly away (fly, fly, fly away)
Fly away (oh, fly away, oh)
Fly away (fly away, oh)
Fly away (I'm gonna, yeah, I'm gonna)
Fly away (I'm gonna fly away, yeah, I'm gonna)
Fly away (fly away, oh, I'm gonna)
Fly away (fly why, oh yeah, I'm gonna)
Fly away (fly away)
I'm gonna fly away