I've seen the lights go out on Broadway
I saw the Empire State lay low
Life went on beyond the Palisades:
They all bought Cadillacs and left there long ago
They held a concert out in Brooklyn
To watch the island bridges blow
They turned our power down,
And drove us underground,
But we went right on with the show

I've seen the lights go out on Broadway
I saw the ruins at my feet
You know we almost didn't notice it
We'd see it all the time on 42nd Street
They burned the churches up in Harlem,
Like in that Spanish Civil War
The flames were everywhere,
But no one really cared:
It always burned up there before

I've seen the lights go out on Broadway
I watched the mighty skyline fall
The boats were waiting at the battery
The union went on strike:
They never sailed at all
They sent the carrier out from Norfolk,
And picked the Yankees up for free
They said that Queens could stay
They blew the Bronx away,
And set Manhattan out at sea

You know those lights were bright on Broadway,
But that was so many years ago:
Before we all lived here in Florida,
Before the Mafia took over Mexico
There are not many who remember;
They say a handful still survive
To tell the world about
The way the lights went out,
And keep the memory alive