Born in Red Hook, Brooklyn, in the year of who
knows when Opened up his eyes to the tune of an
accordion Always on the outside of whatever side
there was When they asked him why it had to be
that way, "Well," he answered,
"just because."

Larry was the oldest, Joey was next to last. They
called Joe "Crazy," the baby they called
"Kid Blast." Some say they lived off
gambling and runnin' numbers too. It always seemed
they got caught between the mob and the men in
blue.

Joey, Joey, King of the streets, child of clay.
Joey, Joey, What made them want to come and blow
you away?

There was talk they killed their rivals, but the
truth was far from that No one ever knew for sure
where they were really at. When they tried to
strangle Larry, Joey almost hit the roof. He went
out that night to seek revenge, thinkin' he was
bulletproof.

The war broke out at the break of dawn, it emptied
out the streets Joey and his brothers suffered
terrible defeats Till they ventured out behind the
lines and took five prisoners. They stashed them
away in a basement, called them amateurs.

The hostages were tremblin' when they heard a man
exclaim, "Let's blow this place to kingdom
come, let Con Edison take the blame." But
Joey stepped up, he raised his hand, said,
"We're not those kind of men. It's peace and
quiet that we need to go back to work again."

Joey, Joey, King of the streets, child of clay.
Joey, Joey, What made them want to come and blow
you away?

The police department hounded him, they called him
Mr. Smith They got him on conspiracy, they were
never sure who with. "What time is it?"
said the judge to Joey when they met "Five to
ten," said Joey. The judge says, "That's
exactly what you get."

He did ten years in Attica, reading Nietzsche and
Wilhelm Reich They threw him in the hole one time
Find more similar lyrics on http://mp3lyrics.com/ZyGfor tryin' to stop a strike. His closest friends
were black men 'cause they seemed to understand
What it's like to be in society with a shackle on
your hand.

When they let him out in '71 he'd lost a little
weight But he dressed like Jimmy Cagney and I
swear he did look great. He tried to find the way
back into the life he left behind To the boss he
said, "I have returned and now I want what's
mine."

Joey, Joey, King of the streets, child of clay.
Joey, Joey, Why did they have to come and blow you
away?

It was true that in his later years he would not
carry a gun "I'm around too many
children," he'd say, "they should never
know of one." Yet he walked right into the
clubhouse of his lifelong deadly foe, Emptied out
the register, said, "Tell 'em it was Crazy
Joe."

One day they blew him down in a clam bar in New
York He could see it comin' through the door as he
lifted up his fork. He pushed the table over to
protect his family Then he staggered out into the
streets of Little Italy.

Joey, Joey, King of the streets, child of clay.
Joey, Joey, What made them want to come and blow
you away?

Sister Jacqueline and Carmela and mother Mary all
did weep. I heard his best friend Frankie say,
"He ain't dead, he's just asleep." Then
I saw the old man's limousine head back towards
the grave I guess he had to say one last goodbye
to the son that he could not save.

The sun turned cold over President Street and the
town of Brooklyn mourned They said a mass in the
old church near the house where he was born. And
someday if God's in heaven overlookin' His
preserve I know the men that shot him down will
get what they deserve.

Joey, Joey, King of the streets, child of clay.
Joey, Joey, What made them want to come and blow
you away?