A punk rock song about gentrification. An anti-hipster anthem. A love letter to a Brooklyn that exists now only in the memories of those who knew it before Williamsburg was NOT synonymous with skinny jeans and douchebaggery.
lyrics
"Brooklyn"
(R.F. Restaino)
Me and T. got drunk one night
Sitting on the stoop outside of
Some kind of den of iniquity
Back in 1983
It's true that we were not yet ten-
Years old, but times were tough back then
Disco yet had not been declared dead
In Brooklyn, they tell you off right to your face
In Brooklyn, where every woman carries mace
Me and T., we sang along
With some old cats on the corner
Who tried to teach us harmony
But, fuck it, Zimmy only would sing lead
He wouldn't go "bop-shoo-bop"
No "ram-a-lang," no "ding-dong"
But I had to do that every fucking song
In Brooklyn, where everyone's connected
In Brooklyn, does this thing look infected?
The old neighborhood has changed
It can never be the same again
With all those yuppies there
The girls still tease, but they don't tease their hair
And that was the last straw
I knew I couldn't take no more
I sold my Monte Carlo to some pimp
In Brooklyn, emo-rockers moving in to
Brooklyn, but Jackie Robinson is still the king in
Brooklyn, it's enough to make a grown man cry, so
Brooklyn, kiss my working-class, old-school ass goodbye
credits
from The C'est La Vie EP,
released January 1, 2009
Written by R.F. Restaino (C) 2009 Dick Frank Music (ASCAP)
Produced by Rich Restaino
Recorded by Rich Restaino & Randy Avenell
Mixed & Mastered by Randy Avenell
Rich: lead vocal, electric guitar, percussion
Zimmy T.: bass
Dave: drums
Hunt: electric guitar
Lloyd: organ
Sara: backing vocals
Elzie: backing vocals
Roz: backing vocals
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