[Exclude: autotune, polished, clean, pop, hi-fi] [Vocal style: Ragged, desperate, whiskey-soaked, voice cracking] [Recording: Low-quality condenser mic, room reverb, hiss] [Performance: Sloppy, slightly off-beat, raw emotion] [Intro] [Sound of a screeching subway train, heavy feedback swells into a fast, aggressive drum beat] [Shout: "Nicky's back! Clear the tracks! One, two, one-two-three-four!"] [Verse 1] Stepped off the R-train, smelling like smoke — yeah Got a pocket full of nothing and a heart that’s broke — huh But I’m wearing my leather like a suit of gold In a city that’s dying, in a world that’s cold — look at me! The streetlights are humming a dirty little tune, yeah Under the light of a chemical moon, huh Got my platform boots hitting the concrete hard Just another wild dog in the junkyard — out of my way! [Pre-Chorus] And the neon is bleeding on the wet asphalt — oh yeah If the world goes to hell, it ain’t my fault, huh The pushers are nodding and the saints are all high I’m looking for a star in a soot-black sky — aw! [Chorus] Give me the 14th Street Strut, yeah! Keep your eyes open and your big mouth shut, huh! I’m a subway star with a neon scar Doesn't matter where I'm going, just where I are Oh — I’m Nicky Razor, c'mon! [Verse 2] Met a girl named Candy in a basement bar — yeah huh She said, "Baby, you look like a shooting star," aw I said, "Honey, I'm the ghost of the 42nd street" The only heart beating in the city heat — bleh! The billboards are lying but the trash is real, yeah I got a hunger that no one can steal, huh From the Bowery lights to the Chelsea piers I’m the king of the dirt and the prince of the tears — aw yeah! [Bridge] [Guitar solo — fast, chaotic, lots of double-stops and raw bending, very aggressive] [Shouted: "Token booth! Turnstile! Down the hatch! GO!"] It’s a long way up from the underground — huh But I like the rhythm and I like the sound, yeah Of a broken record in a broken town I ain't ever, ever, ever gonna let 'em bring me down — NO! [Final Chorus — maximum energy, vocals becoming more ragged] Give me the 14th Street Strut, yeah! Keep your eyes open and your big mouth shut, huh! I’m a subway star with a neon scar Doesn't matter where I'm going, just where I are Oh — I’m Nicky Razor Oh — I’m Nicky Razor — aw yeah! [Outro] [Guitar feedback starts to squeal, drums maintain a fast pulse] [Spoken: ] [Hard Stop] [End]
