When the Irish Were Kings of New York Songtext
von Michael McDermott

April 25, 1924 – they laid Charles Murphy to rest
Fifty thousand people lined the streets that day
Neath St. Patrick′s Cathedral's Crest
Mahoney and Foley and McGuire were there
And the boss of the Bronx, ol′ Eddie Flynn
All the way down Fifth Avenue, to the south of Times Square
While the rebel songs were dancing in the wind
From the Upper West Side to the boweries
From the Gas House District to County Cork
When the Irish Were Kings of New York
I'd been a horse car driver for a year or so
On the Twenty-Third St. 'cross town line
After work, the boys would go down to Charlie′s place
For beer and soup for just a dime
Through the din you could hear big Tim Sullivan
He had a laugh nobody could ignore
When the Irish Were Kings of New York
We had Al Smith up in Albany


Jimmy Walker running a dirty city game
Fitzgerald at the Biltmore, Dempsey in the ring
George M. was the prince of Broadway
We had a Tammany sweep all down Fourteenth St.
Cardinal Hayes knocking on the Vatican door
When the Irish Were Kings of New York
Petty crooks and Donny Brooks
And the power so abused
Maybe we never realized we
Had everything to lose
Our heroes that rose from these city streets
Became the ghosts of our past
From the Capitol down to the Fulton Docks
When LaGuardia came in, things changed so fast
From the shadows where we built the Brooklyn Bridge
The tiger whispered "Nevermore"
When the Irish Were Kings of New York
When the Irish Were Kings of New York