New york city rain I don't know if it's making me dirtier or clean Went for the subway but there was no train And the tunnel was crumbling for repairs again And the sign said welcome to american jerusalem I've been around You could spend forever looking for a friend in this town And all you get to do is lay your dollar down Till you're stumbling drunk up the stairs again And the sign says welcome to american jerusalem In the temples of american jerusalem They buy an ounce of south african gold They don't care who was bought or sold Or who died to mine it In the temples of american jerusalem They buy an ounce of marseilles white Somewhere on a street with no light Somebody dies trying it And somewhere in a crowd Looking the kind of way that makes you turn around Will be somebody who knows what it's about And she's going to take the ribbons from her hair again And welcome you to american jerusalem In the alleys of american jerusalem The homeless lie down at the dawn The pretty people wonder what they're on And how they afford it In the ashes of american jerusalem The prophets live their deaths out on the corner The pretty people say there should've been a warning But nobody heard it Then shadows lick the sun The streets are paved with footsteps on the run Somebody must've got double 'cause i got none I forgot to collect my share again So go west to breath the cleansing air again Go niagara for your honeymoon again Go on the road if you're going to sing your tune again Go to sea to learn to be a man again Till you come on home to american jerusalem