Manhattan
R. Rodgers Lyrics
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And to other places aggra-
vate all our cares.
We'll save our fares;
I've a cozy little flat in
What is known as old Manhattan,
We'll settle down
CHORUS 1
We'll have Manhattan,
The Bronx and Staten
Island too.
It's lovely going through the Zoo.
It's very fancy
On old Delancey
Street you know.
The subway charms us so,
When balmy breezes blow
To and fro.
And tell me what street
Compares with Mott Street
In July?
Sweet pushcarts gently gliding by.
The great big city's a wondrous toy
Just made for a girl and boy --
We'll turn Manhattan
Into an isle of joy.
CHORUS 2
We'll go to Greenwich,
Where modern men itch
To be free,
And Bowling Green you'll see with me.
We'll bathe at Brighton,
The fish you'll frighten
When you're in,
Your bathing suit so thin
Will make the shellfish grin,
Fin to fin.
I'd like to take a
Sail on Jamaica
Bay with you,
And fair Canarsie's Lakes we'll view.
The city's bustle cannot destroy
The dreams of a girl and boy --
We'll turn Manhattan
Into an isle of joy.
CHORUS 3
We'll go to Yonkers,
Where true love conquers
In the wilds
And starve together, dear, in Childs'.
We'll go to Coney
And eat bologny
On a roll,
In Central Park we'll stroll
Where our first kiss we stole,
Soul to soul.
And South Pacific
Is a terrific
Show they say,
We both may see it close some day.
The city's clamour can never spoil
The dreams of a boy and goil --
We'll turn Manhattan
Into an isle of joy.
CHORUS 4
We'll have Manhattan,
The Bronx and Staten
Island too,
We'll try to cross Fifth Avenue.
As black as onyx
We'll find the Bronix
Park Express,
Our Flatbush flat, I guess,
Will be a great success,
More or less.
A short vacation
On Inspiration
Point we'll spend,
And in the station house we'll end.
But Civic Virtue cannot destroy
The dreams of a girl and boy --
We'll turn Manhattan
Into an isle of joy!
The lyrics of R. Rodgers’s song Manhattan paint a vivid picture of a summer vacation in New York City. The song speaks of the hustle and bustle of the big city, but also highlights the serenity and tranquility found in certain areas. The lyrics make it clear that the singer intends to settle down in Manhattan and forget their troubles. The song is about the ability to turn any part of Manhattan into an “isle of joy”.
The opening lines of the song speak of the desire to get away from the daily struggle and stresses of life. The singer suggests that they will save their fares and find comfort in an apartment in old Manhattan. The chorus speaks of visiting various neighborhoods in New York City, including The Bronx, Staten Island, Greenwich, and Yonkers. The song highlights the beauty of the city, from the fancy streets of Delancey to the pushcarts of Mott Street. It speaks of the possibility of escaping to Inspiration Point for a short vacation and watching the South Pacific show. There is also mention of Childs’, a once-popular restaurant chain in the city.
Through the lyrics, it is clear that R. Rodgers has captured the essence of what it means to be in Manhattan during the summer. The song speaks of the beauty and diversity of the city, from the famous parks and zoos to the local neighborhoods. Above all, the song emphasizes the power of love and companionship to turn any place into an “isle of joy."
Line by Line Meaning
Summer journeys to Niag'ra
Traveling to tourist destinations during the summer exacerbates our worries.
And to other places aggra-
And to other destinations it likely does the same.
vate all our cares.
Exacerbate all our worries.
We'll save our fares;
We'll save our money instead of traveling.
I've a cozy little flat in
I have a comfortable, small apartment in
What is known as old Manhattan,
The historic neighborhood of Manhattan.
We'll settle down
Let's stay here
Right here in town.
Right in the city.
We'll have Manhattan,
We'll enjoy Manhattan.
The Bronx and Staten Island too.
We'll visit The Bronx and Staten Island as well.
It's lovely going through the Zoo.
We enjoy walking through the Zoo.
It's very fancy
It's quite posh
On old Delancey
On historic Delancey street
Street you know.
You must be aware of it.
The subway charms us so,
We find the subway to be charming.
When balmy breezes blow
On warm days.
To and fro.
We take the subway back and forth.
And tell me what street
Can you tell me what street
Compares with Mott Street
Matches Mott Street
In July?
During the summer month of July?
Sweet pushcarts gently gliding by.
Pushcarts softly moving past us.
The great big city's a wondrous toy
The city is an amazing spectacle.
Just made for a girl and boy --
Perfect for a couple.
We'll turn Manhattan
We'll make Manhattan into
Into an isle of joy.
A place of happiness.
We'll go to Greenwich,
We'll go to Greenwich Village.
Where modern men itch
Where trendy people gather
To be free,
To experience freedom.
And Bowling Green you'll see with me.
We'll see Bowling Green together.
We'll bathe at Brighton,
We'll go swimming at Brighton Beach.
The fish you'll frighten
We'll scare the fish in the water.
When you're in,
When you swim in the water.
Your bathing suit so thin
Your swimsuit, which is thin
Will make the shellfish grin,
Will make the shellfish laugh.
Fin to fin.
We end to end.
I'd like to take a
I would love to go on
Sail on Jamaica
Sail on Jamaica Bay.
Bay with you,
With you by my side.
And fair Canarsie's Lakes we'll view.
We'll see the beautiful lakes of Canarsie.
The city's bustle cannot destroy
The city's hustle and bustle can't destroy
The dreams of a girl and boy --
The dreams of a couple.
We'll turn Manhattan
We'll turn the city of Manhattan
Into an isle of joy.
Into a happy place
We'll go to Yonkers,
We'll visit Yonkers.
Where true love conquers
Where real love succeeds.
In the wilds
Out in nature.
And starve together, dear, in Childs'.
We'll go hungry together at Childs' restaurant.
We'll go to Coney
We'll visit Coney Island.
And eat bologny
We'll eat bologna.
On a roll,
On a sandwich.
In Central Park we'll stroll
We'll walk around Central Park
Where our first kiss we stole,
Where we had our first romantic kiss.
Soul to soul.
We connected fully.
And South Pacific
The popular musical South Pacific.
Is a terrific
Is amazing.
Show they say,
People say it's an amazing show.
We both may see it close some day.
Perhaps we'll get to see it live someday.
The city's clamour can never spoil
The noise of the city can't ruin.
The dreams of a boy and goil --
The dreams of a boy and girl.
We'll turn Manhattan
We'll transform Manhattan
Into an isle of joy.
Into a happy place.
We'll have Manhattan,
We'll enjoy Manhattan.
The Bronx and Staten Island too,
We'll visit The Bronx and Staten Island.
We'll try to cross Fifth Avenue.
We'll attempt to cross Fifth Avenue.
As black as onyx
As dark as onyx.
We'll find the Bronix
We'll locate Bronx.
Park Express,
The express train to the park.
Our Flatbush flat, I guess,
Our Flatbush apartment, I assume.
Will be a great success,
Will be very successful.
More or less.
Give or take.
A short vacation
A brief trip.
On Inspiration
At Inspiration Point.
Point we'll spend,
We'll spend time there.
And in the station house we'll end.
And we'll finish our trip at the station house.
But Civic Virtue cannot destroy
But even a controversial statue cannot ruin
The dreams of a girl and boy --
The dreams of a couple.
We'll turn Manhattan
We'll make Manhattan
Into an isle of joy!
A place of happiness!
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
imonthebox1
This was the first ever song written by the new partnership of Richard Rodgers composer, and Lorenz Hart lyricist.
JHMJams
I didn’t know that!
Reinaldo Leon Cuevas
Fabuloso 😍
Antonio Neto
Lindo demais
gaile tompkins
one of the great version I've heard. Have you check Lea Salonga's version?..so far that's my most favorite version :)
Kudos!
JHMJams
no I'll have to check it out sometime!
Joab Correa de Melo
Muito legal, parabéns!!!👍👏👏👏🎼🎶🎶🎵🎵
Franzy
Wow just awesome! As always!
ComputerGraffics
Delightful vocalists! I could listen to them all day.
JHMJams
yeah I would check out the Ladybugs band that they're in!