Boomtown Rats
"Joey's On The Street Again"

Sooner or later when the dawn was
breaking
The joint was jumping and the walls
were shaking
Joey sneaked in the backdoor way
Pretending he was with the band, he
never used to pay
He was no great draw at pulling the
chicks
He used to lie against the wall like he
was holding up the bricks
And all the things that guy used to do
to get his kicks
He was a legand in his lifetime with
the neighborhood kids

They said "Joey did this" and "Joey
did that"
Oh that guy was crazy, what a crazy
cat
Then something strange would
happen, there's trouble on the way
And trouble only means one thing....
Joey's on the street again.

Joey grew older, older without a
cause
Got married, had some kids and had
his brushes with the law
Settled down and got a job, then said
"I'm leaving" one day
"I've gotta hang loose a while, take
care while I'm away."
People said they'd seen him, they
were nearly always wrong
'Cause no one knew how much he
had, where he'd gone or for how long
'Til one day there came a rumor,
floating from the docks
Saying a crazy stranger had been
found lying among the rocks.

The said "Joey was this" and "Joey
was that"
Oh that guy was crazy, what a crazy
cat
But no one quite believed it, all
rumors are the same
And now if something happens they
say....
Joey's on the street again.

When Joey moved away
A lot of the kids said "I can't stay
around here"
They said "I'm moving out, going
away
They said "I'm leaving, getting out
"I'm gonna go somewhere where it
doesn't stink
Away from the alleys, somewhere I
can think
Wash the dirt from my hands, watch it
wash down the sink
It's a strain on the brain living close to
the brink

Look at the brickwall gravestone
where some kid was sprayed
Saying nobody could be bothered
here to rule O.K.
Don't believe it, don't believe it what
they say on TV
There's no romance, no romance
For Joey in this city.