My brother Brendan is an actor and a musician. As well as being a father! He has just made the move to LA, as of yesterday. I miss him already.
He, in commemoration of his time here in New York, wrote a song called “Good-bye New York”. It was also significant because he was flying out on September 11. I asked him to send me the lyrics, and I asked him permission to post them, because they are very moving. I think my favorite line, the one that kills me, is “I could hate all of their brethren, But that’s not how we do it In this town.”
I haven’t heard the tune yet, so if I can get some mp3s from him, I will link to them here too.
Good-bye New York
by Brendan O’Malley
Soon I will be
Taking my last train
It’s mainly in the evening
That it can all seem in vain
When the pain
Is raining canes on you
But you don’t have
Your legs no more
You’ve got to make your exit
Before slipping out the
Backstage door
So floor it, honey
Unpop that fucking cork
Let’s celebrate
Good bye, New York
They may’ve made
Mountains of your buildings
They made you walk the bridges home
They made you grieve
In tiny boxes
Filled with bugs and
Shit and foam
They blackmailed you
With severed heads
They made unreasonable demands
Without humor, without mercy
Too much tension, too
Much torque
Good bye, New York
I could close my heart
Off to them
Write them off or back them down
I could hate all of their brethren
But that’s not how we do it
In this town
They have to wait til Paradise
We exalt our virgins now
Or were they really after raisins?
Either way, I’d have shown them how
From Grand Army Plaza up to Harlem
Flies a scarred and angry stork
Cries, “It is today. They are forgiven-
Here’s a new America baby
Say hello – Good bye, New York.”
