Walking Down Madison
Kirsty MacColl Lyrics

Walking down madison - I swear I never had a gun
I'm walking down Madison avenue in New York City, and I'm telling you that I'm not carrying a gun.

No I never shot no-one - I was only having fun
I want to clarify that I've never shot anyone and I wasn't thinking about it either. I was just having a good time.

Walking down madison - swear I never had a gun
I'm walking down Madison avenue again and I still don't have a gun.

I was philosophizing some
I was thinking deeply about something important while I walked down the street.

Checking out the bums
As I walked, I looked at the homeless people begging for money on the street.

See you give 'em your nickels, your pennies and dimes
People are generous with small change, giving it to the homeless on the street.

But you can't give 'em hope in these mercenary times, oh no
However, people can't really give homeless people the hope they need to change their situation because everyone is focused on making money and it's difficult to be hopeful in this environment.

And you feel real guilty about the coat on your back
When people walk past homeless people, they often feel guilty about the privilege they have – such as warm clothing – and the people on the street do not.

And the sandwich you had, oh no
They also feel guilty about having food to eat when others don't.

From an uptown apartment to a knife on the a train
There is a wide range of experiences in one city, from wealthy apartment buildings to violent crime on the subway.

It's not that far
These vastly different experiences are not geographically far from each other.

From the sharks in the penthouse to the rats in the basement
There are rich and powerful people in office buildings and there are poor and desperate people living in the basements of those buildings.

To the bag lady frozen asleep in the park
Even more tragic, there are homeless people who cannot even afford a home and must sleep on the streets, even in freezing conditions.

Would you like to see some more?
I'm offering to show you, the listener, more of these heartbreaking realities.

I can show you if you'd like to
I can give you a glimpse into the difficult lives of those who are struggling.

Trying to keep my head screwed on
As I continue to walk and see these things, I'm trying to keep my head clear and not lose my mind.

Checking out the nuns
I'm now looking at nuns – which could be a symbol for those who devote themselves to helping others – and observing them.

When you get to the corner don't look at those freaks
When you get to the corner of a street, don't look at the homeless people begging for money because you don't want to make eye contact with them and feel obligated to give them money.

Keep your head down low and stay quick on your feet, oh yeah
Instead, keep your head down and walk quickly so that you don't attract their attention and don't have to spend any of your money on them.

The beaming boy from harlem with the airforce coat
I'm now looking at a boy from Harlem who seems happy despite his circumstances and is wearing a coat from the Air Force.

The ones who died
There are people who have died from drug abuse or other causes because they were homeless and had no support system.

The ones who tried
There are people who try to lift themselves out of poverty but are failed by the system and end up back on the street.

The ones that sit and gloat
There are people who are privileged and don't care about the struggles of others and may even find joy in their misfortune.

Within every city and town there's a madison
Every city has a name for a busy street or district in which an eclectic mix of people from different social backgrounds can be seen crossing paths with one another.

Frozen lives for whom nothing's happening
There are people who live in one place and don't experience any change in their lives and their struggles simply continue indefinitely.

Hungry children is a mother's dilemma
Mothers may struggle to feed their children in this environment, and those children may go hungry.

Dumpster diving to feed her baby emma
Some mothers may have to resort to looking through trash to find food to keep their families alive, as Emma has no other options.

So you walk on by like it doesn't affect you
People often ignore the suffering of others because they don't want to feel bad or don't know what to do to help.

The held out hand that you pay no respect to
People often ignore homeless people's requests for money or help because they don't want to give or don't believe they can help.

Nickels and dimes won't even buy your guilt
People may toss small coins in the direction of the panhandler, but this gesture typically won't assuage their guilt.

Another wino burnt to death in his quilt
Another homeless person – one who is struggling with alcoholism – has died from hypothermia in a blanket on the street.

It's a cardboard city, newspaper metropolis
Homeless people are often forced to live in makeshift camps made of cardboard boxes and other scrap materials.

The system can't cope or keep on top of this
The government doesn't know how to solve the issue of homelessness and poverty in America's cities.

The authorities come as you're not for display
The police may come to arrest homeless people for loitering, vagrancy, or other petty crimes as if they are accomplices in hiding the problem of poverty that they represent.

Do they solve the problem no they move him away
Instead of offering proper and long-term solutions for homeless people, the government often just moves them around from place to place.

They're in a vicious circle of no fixed abode
Homeless people are trapped in a cycle where they cannot find permanent housing or a job, which exacerbates their struggles and makes it nearly impossible for them to gain independence.

The social won't pay 'em the money they're owed
The welfare system often does not provide the money and social support that homeless people need to improve their circumstances.

When you've got no money you can't pay rent
Homeless people can hardly be expected to pay any rent, let alone save up for a security deposit or down payment, which makes it difficult to ever escape poverty and homelessness.

Hypothermia kills ''cause the system is bent
In cold environments, homeless people can be susceptible to hypothermia and other serious health issues. This vulnerability exists because the government and social welfare system have failed them and because their status within society is greatly devalued.

In the subway sits a vacuous man
Within the New York City subway system, there are many people who are struggling with mental health issues or addiction, making their situations extremely difficult and even dangerous.

His grip on life is a bent tin can
The man referred to may carry around a tin can that has become a symbol of his life's sadness and hopelessness.

It's a holy shrine where he burns his light
Within this hopelessness, the man may find moments of reflection or religious recognition, and he may light candles or pray for hope or deliverance.

It makes things easy and removes his plight
In some ways, this religious or reflective act may help the man escape his problems for a few moments and focus on something larger than himself.

For an hour or two but he can't escape
However, the man cannot simply rely on occasional religious or reflective moments to escape his struggles completely because they persist in his life.

They're all penned in with government tape
Though homeless or troubled people may seem free or untethered to some degree, they are still subject to the many regulations of the state and are ultimately caught within the grips of a failing and capitalist system.

There are good samaritans who bring the soup
Fortunately, there are still some people who are willing to help homeless people and offer them aid or food when they can.

The sally army with their bibles and boots
Various religious or mission-oriented organizations may also offer assistance to the homeless, providing them with spiritual or pragmatic support.

You can see yourself as it's not too far
If you take a moment to reflect on the realities of homelessness and poverty in a city, you might recognize that it's not too different from your own circumstances or those of people close to you.

One short trip you don't who they are
A short walk (or journey) could easily bring you to these circumstances within a city too. Homeless people are real people, with stories rich and varied, even if society often overlooks them.

Till the night comes then it all comes back
At night time when people are alone, they might reflect about their experiences and what they have seen throughout the day.

Like the smell of patchouli and the armies of rats
The memories return in the form of smells and images – people will remember the scent of one thing while seeing the reality of poverty around them.

It's a shame to be human it's a human shame
The world has many problems and too often humans fail to help each other overcome them. This is a tragedy for us all because it wastes human potential and denies us a more beautiful and pleasant existence.