Rodgers & Hart — Give It Back to the Indians

(Verse) Old Peter Minuit had nothing to lose When he bought the isle of Manhattan For 26 dollars and a bottle of booze And they threw in the Bronx and Staten Pete thought that he had the beset of the bargain But the poor red man just grinned And he grunted "Ugh," meaning "okay" in his jargon For he knew poor Pete was skinned We've tried to run the city But the city ran away And now, Peter Minuit We can't continue it (Chorus 1) Broadway's turning into Coney Champagne Charlie's drinking gin Old New York is new and phony Give it back to the Indians Two cents more to smoke a Lucky Dodging buses keeps you thin New New York is simply ducky Give it back to the Indians Take all the reds On the boxes made for soap Whites on 5th Avenue Blues down in Wall Street losing hope Big bargain today Chief, take it away Come, you busted city slickers Better take it on the chin Father Knick has lost his knickers Give it back to the Indians (Chorus 2) 86th Street looks like Berlin And the Giants never win No dark park to kiss your girl in Give it back to the Indians Even Harlem's getting darker No more jokes to make us grin MGM's got Dotty Parker Give it back to the Indians Go to the park See the monkeys in the zoo All absolutely free But then the city tax comes due And when you get through Whose monkey are you? Just to make it easy sailin' Sell the Fair, it's made of tin But be sure that they get Whalen Give it back to the Indians (Chorus 3) The Music Hall has presentations But you simply can't get in Try to jump those excavations Give it back to the Indians Shakespeare doesn't get a showing When those striptease girls begin Yet Tobacco Road keeps going Give it back to the Indians Bound on the north By the Bronx, a pretty view East By Long Island, smoke West By New Jersey, pots of glue South Brooklyn's asleep Chief no wanna keep Swing bands give you heebie-jeebies Dewey's put an end to sin Men wear clothes like Lucius Beebe's Give it back to the Indians