The East River
Jeffrey Lewis Lyrics

If I had a girl on 9th avenue
The singer imagines what would happen if he had a partner on 9th avenue.

I know exactly what she would do
The singer believes he knows how his partner would behave.

She would wander at dawn look around At folks
The singer imagines his partner going out early in the morning to observe the people around her.

Find someone better looking who tells Better jokes
The artist assumes his partner would leave him for someone more attractive or funnier.

And then she'd leave me and I'd walk Back east alone
The artist thinks his partner would abandon him, leaving him to walk back home alone.

9 8 7th avenue
The singer is crossing avenues in Manhattan.

Now I'm crossing Madison
The singer is currently walking and has just crossed Madison Avenue.

Sobbing on Park Avenue
The artist is crying while walking on Park Avenue.

Feeling bad on Lexington
The artist is feeling negative emotions while walking on Lexington Avenue.

3 2 1st avenue
The artist is getting closer to 1st Avenue.

Going east with the wind
The wind is blowing in the direction the singer is walking.

Cross the FDR to the east river
The artist is crossing the FDR (a highway) to reach the East River.

Fall right in
The singer jumps into the East River.

And if I had a girl on 10th avenue
The singer is imagining a scenario where he has a partner on 10th avenue instead of 9th.

She would wander at day look at all the Guys
The singer thinks his partner would go out during the day and check out other men.

Find someone who'se read more books And has bluer eyes
The artist thinks his partner would leave him for someone smarter and with bluer eyes.

And then she'd leave me and I'd walk Back east alone
The artist thinks his partner would abandon him, leaving him to walk back home alone.

And if I had a girl on 11th avenue
The singer is imagining another scenario where he has a partner on 11th avenue.

She would wander at night hang around At bars
The singer imagines his partner going out at night and frequenting bars.

Find someone who draws better and Plays prettier guitar
The artist thinks his partner would leave him for someone who is more talented at drawing or playing guitar.

Throw myself in
The artist doesn't just jump into the East River, he throws himself in.

Until the scum in the east river would Drown me
The artist believes the polluted scum in the river would eventually cause his death.

The phlegm and rotten rats would Surround me
The singer imagines the disgusting creatures and objects that would be around him as he drowns in the river.

The shattered cars at the bottom all Around me
The artist is aware of the cars at the bottom of the river that would be near him as he drowns.

Until I was just another scum in the East river
The singer believes he would be reduced to nothing but scum floating in the polluted East River.

And when I become the scum it's my Job to drown
The singer accepts his fate of drowning in the polluted river like so many others.

The pathetic hopes and failures of the Next unloved clown
The singer sees himself as an unlovable failure incapable of holding a relationship.

Though maybe it would be a girl and We could become scum together
The artist imagines a scenario where he and his partner both jump into the river and become scum together.

Decompose as the river flows
The artist imagines their bodies slowly decomposing as they drift along with the East River's currents.

Become one scum together
By decomposing together in the river, the singer and his partner will become one mass of scum.

Become one forever
The singer believes that by becoming scum together, he and his partner will be united for eternity.

One bloated rotten putrid scum forever
The artist describes their decaying bodies as bloated, rotten, and putrid scum in the river.