From the musical “Face the Music”, 1932
Words and music by Irving Berlin
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
Manhattan, Manhattan, Manhattan
Manhattan, Manhattan, Madness
You’ve got me at last
I’m like a fly upon a steeple
Watching seven million people
Do a rhythm that draws me with ’em
Manhattan, Manhattan, Manhattan
Manhattan, Manhattan Madness
You’re going too fast
I’m like a baby on a rocker
Watching Father Knickerbocker
Being busy, I’m getting dizzy
When shadows creep, in my bed I tumble
But never sleep for I hear the rumble
In the street, the tramping of feet
That haunt me the whole night long
And through the day I’m watching the drama
That people play in your panorama
And I hear in tones very clear
The sound of your restless song
Subways below and trains above racing
Packed with humanity
Taxis and trucks and trolley cars chasing
Busy as they can be
Steaming machines and riveters grating
Motors instead of men
Buildings go up with wrecking crews waiting
To tear them down again
Newsies that shout sensational headlines
Peddlers with things to sell
Noisy cafes and whispering breadlines
Children that scream and yell
Whistles and bells and siren horns blowing
Pistols that crack and roar
Traffic that stops and goes without knowing
What’s all the shooting for
Manhattan, Manhattan, Manhattan
Manhattan, Manhattan Madness
You’ve got me at last
I’m like a fly upon a steeple
Watching seven million people
Do a rhythm that draws me with ’em
And it’s mad
Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: