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
We 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