Raised in New York City, Carroll who attended several Catholic Grammar Schools from 1955 to 1963. In fall 1963, he entered public school, but was soon awarded a scholarship to the elite Trinity High School (a private school). He entered Trinity High School in 1964.
Apart from being interested in writing, Carroll was a passionate basketball player throughout his grade school and middle school career. He entered the "Biddy League" at age 13 and participated in the National High School All Star Game in 1966, hence the title of his most famous book.
As a teenager, Carroll was a heroin addict who sometimes prostituted himself to afford his habit. The novel The Basketball Diaries concerns his life in New York City's hard drug culture and his struggle to rid himself of his addiction.
Carroll published his first book, Organic Trains, at age 17. Several of his poems have been published in such magazines as Paris Review and Poetry. In 1970, his second collection of poems, 4 Ups and 1 Down was published. That same year, Carroll started working for Andy Warhol. At first, he was writing film dialogue and inventing character names; later on, Carroll worked as the co-manager of Warhol's Theater. Carroll's first above-ground publication, the collection Living At The Movies was published in 1973.
He formed The Jim Carroll Band, a New Wave/punk rock group, in 1980. Their biggest commercial success was the single "People Who Died," from their debut album, Catholic Boy. He has also collaborated with many influential punk and hard rock musicians, including Lou Reed, Blue Öyster Cult, Boz Scaggs and Rancid.
Carroll died on September 11, 2009 of a heart attack. He was 60.
City Drops Into The Night
Jim Carroll Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're workin' with the skeleton crew
It's when the sky over Jersey
That sky starts to drain from view
It's when my woman pawns her voice so
So she can make her old excuses sound new
But I just want one clue
'Cause when the city drops into the night
Before the darkness there's one moment of light
When everything seems clear
The other side, it seems so near
What seemed wrong?
I think it's gonna be just about right
Before the city drops, the city drops
Into the night
It's when the door to the River
That door is like 26 miles
It's when ambitious little girls start
They start to dream about a change in style
It's when the slick boys got their fingers
They got their fingers in the telephone dial
But I think I'll just wait a while
'Cause when the city drops into the night
Before the darkness there's one moment of light
When everything seems clear
The other side, it seems so near
What seemed wrong?
I think it's gonna be just about right
Before the city drops, the city drops
Into the night
It's when the sneak thieves are checkin'
They're checkin the alleys for unlocked doors
And Billy's sister's gettin' frantic 'cause
'Cause Billy's sister's little brother can't score
It's when the woman from the dream is
Oh my God! That's the woman on the floor
Each promise was just one promise more
'Cause when the city drops into the night
Before the darkness there's one moment of light
When everything seems clear
The other side, it seems so near
What seemed wrong?
I think it's gonna be just about right
Before the city drops, the city drops
Into the night
It's when Teddy's ghost is on the roof
Beatin' his drum
And Teddy's best friend is two blocks East
And he's makin' Teddy's ex-girlfriend come
You know, they mistook Teddy's blind trust
Just to prove that Teddy was dumb
But listen, you know, I think they are both just scum
'Cause when the city drops into the night
Before the darkness there's one moment of light
When everything seems clear
The other side, it seems so near
What seemed wrong?
I think it's gonna be just about right
Before the city drops, the city drops
Into the night
It's when the body at the bottom,
That body is my own reflection
But it ain't hip to sink that low
Unless you're gonna make a resurrection
They're always gonna come to your door
They're gonna say, "It's just a routine inspection"
But what you get when you open your door
What you get is just another injection
And there's always gonna be one more
With just a little bit less until the next one
They wait in shadows and steal the light from your eyes
To them vision's just some costly infection
But listen, you should come with me
I'm the fire, I'm the fire's reflection
I'm just a constant warning to take the other direction
Mister, I am your connection
'Cause when the city drops into the night
Before the darkness there's one moment of light
When everything seems clear
The other side, it seems so near
What seemed wrong?
I think it's gonna be just about right
Before the city drops, the city drops
Into the night
Jim Carroll's "City Drops Into The Night" is a song that captures the mood of a city at night through a series of vignettes. The song is rich in imagery and speaks to the darker side of urban life. The lyrics describe a world of prostitutes, pawn shops, and thieves where everyone is trying to make a score. The song suggests that in the darkness of the city, one can find clarity and moments of hope.
The first verse describes Billy's prostitutes and the skeleton crew they work with. The imagery suggests that the women are working under difficult circumstances in the darkness of night. The next verse talks about a door to the river that is 26 miles long and how ambitious little girls dream of style changes in their lives. The verse also mentions how sneaky boys use the telephone dial to their advantage to get by.
The last verse takes a darker turn as it describes Teddy's ghost on the roof, beating his drum. The verse explains how Teddy's ex-girlfriend is with his best friend two blocks away, and they are mistaking Teddy's blind trust. The final lines suggest that the city can be a dangerous place where promises made are often broken.
Overall, the song presents a gritty, noirish vision of the city at night, but there is a glimmer of hope as well. The city drops into the night, but before the darkness, there is a moment of light where everything seems clearer. The song captures the sense of danger and uncertainty that comes with living in a metropolis.
Line by Line Meaning
It's when Billy's whores are re to seeorkin'
When the prostitutes start their shift with the sailors
They're workin' with the skeleton crew
They are working late night shifts
It's when the sky over Jersey
The sky over New Jersey
That sky starts to drain from view
The sky starts to darken
It's when my woman pawns her voice so
My girlfriend pawns her possessions
So she can make her old excuses sound new
To make new deceptions and excuses
But I just want one clue
I only ask for a hint
'Cause when the city drops into the night
When the night falls over the city
Before the darkness there's one moment of light
Before it gets pitch-black, there's still some light
When everything seems clear
When everything becomes apparent
The other side, it seems so near
The alternate reality seems within reach
What seemed wrong?
What appeared to be incorrect?
I think it's gonna be just about right
I believe it's going to be satisfactory
Before the city drops, the city drops
Before the city's fall, it falls
It's when the door to the River
The entrance to the River
That door is like 26 miles
The door is quite far
It's when ambitious little girls start
When young girls start dreaming big
They start to dream about a change in style
They envision a change in lifestyle
It's when the slick boys got their fingers
When the smooth operators have their hands
They got their fingers in the telephone dial
They are making phone calls
But I think I'll just wait a while
But I believe I'll wait a little longer
'Cause when the city drops into the night
When the night takes over the city
Before the darkness there's one moment of light
Before it gets pitch-black, there's still some light
When everything seems clear
When everything becomes apparent
The other side, it seems so near
The alternate reality seems within reach
What seemed wrong?
What appeared to be incorrect?
I think it's gonna be just about right
I believe it's going to be satisfactory
Before the city drops, the city drops
Before the city's fall, it falls
It's when the sneak thieves are checkin'
When the pickpockets are scouting
They're checkin the alleys for unlocked doors
They're searching for unlocked entry points in the alleys
And Billy's sister's gettin' frantic 'cause
Billy's sister is becoming agitated
'Cause Billy's sister's little brother can't score
Because her little brother can't obtain any drugs
It's when the woman from the dream is
When the woman from the dream appears
Oh my God! That's the woman on the floor
Oh my God! That's the lady on the ground
Each promise was just one promise more
Every vow was just another empty promise
'Cause when the city drops into the night
When the night takes over the city
Before the darkness there's one moment of light
Before it gets pitch-black, there's still some light
When everything seems clear
When everything becomes apparent
The other side, it seems so near
The alternate reality seems within reach
What seemed wrong?
What appeared to be incorrect?
I think it's gonna be just about right
I believe it's going to be satisfactory
Before the city drops, the city drops
Before the city's fall, it falls
It's when Teddy's ghost is on the roof
When Teddy's spirit is on the roof
Beatin' his drum
Playing his instrument
And Teddy's best friend is two blocks East
And Teddy's closest friend is a couple of blocks to the East
And he's makin' Teddy's ex-girlfriend come
And he's making Teddy's previous girlfriend climax
You know, they mistook Teddy's blind trust
They misunderstood Teddy's overly trusting nature
Just to prove that Teddy was dumb
Just to demonstrate that Teddy was foolish
But listen, you know, I think they are both just scum
But hear me out, I think they are both contemptible
'Cause when the city drops into the night
When the night takes over the city
Before the darkness there's one moment of light
Before it gets pitch-black, there's still some light
When everything seems clear
When everything becomes apparent
The other side, it seems so near
The alternate reality seems within reach
What seemed wrong?
What appeared to be incorrect?
I think it's gonna be just about right
I believe it's going to be satisfactory
Before the city drops, the city drops
Before the city's fall, it falls
It's when the body at the bottom,
When the body at the bottom,
That body is my own reflection
That body is my own reflection
But it ain't hip to sink that low
But it's not cool to fall that low
Unless you're gonna make a resurrection
Unless you plan on bouncing back
They're always gonna come to your door
They will always come knocking
They're gonna say, "It's just a routine inspection"
They will say, "It's just a standard check"
But what you get when you open your door
But when you open your door
What you get is just another injection
What you receive is just another shot
And there's always gonna be one more
And there will always be one more
With just a little bit less until the next one
With a slightly lower dose until the following round
They wait in shadows and steal the light from your eyes
They wait in the dark and rob you of your vision
To them vision's just some costly infection
To them, sight is just an expensive ailment
But listen, you should come with me
But listen, you should accompany me
I'm the fire, I'm the fire's reflection
I am the fire, and also the fire's reflection
I'm just a constant warning to take the other direction
I am a warning to change direction
Mister, I am your connection
Sir, I am your contact
'Cause when the city drops into the night
When the night takes over the city
Before the darkness there's one moment of light
Before it gets pitch-black, there's still some light
When everything seems clear
When everything becomes apparent
The other side, it seems so near
The alternate reality seems within reach
What seemed wrong?
What appeared to be incorrect?
I think it's gonna be just about right
I believe it's going to be satisfactory
Before the city drops, the city drops
Before the city's fall, it falls
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Brian Ladd Linsley, Jim Dennis Carroll, Stephen C. Jr. Linsley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bwana31
My brother had this album when we were in high school and I fell in love with it. Spectacular songs all around. But City Drops Into The Night is the masterpiece.
Brock Autry
It is badassery no doubt
J
Most underrated album of all-time, period!
jeannelacubana10
+jesse dyer I agree!!
isolationdisorder
Agreed. This album is Perfect.
Javier
x3
A.J. Murtagh
Easily!
loboblanco
It's one of the best albums ever.
Robert Garcia
Jim Carroll lyrics are simply incredible!
He pulls out just the right words in one line to read like a chapter that fills your head with images. Then the 2nd line becomes another chapter, not a single verse is wasted!
Sheer genius!!!
Mr. Classical
I absolutely love jim carroll. Such a beautiful soul who wrote his heart out. He had his troubles but i tell ye.. he left some wonderful art behind for us all to enjoy. God bless you Jim.