Uploaded May 2011 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
Ray Charles New York's My Home
Listen all you New Yorkers
There's a rumour going around
That some of you good people
Want to leave this town
But you better consult me before you go
(Why?)
Cos I've been in all these places
And I know
(Chicago) Chicago's all right
It's got the Wrigley Field and
Soldier's Field and Marshall Field
and it's on a nice lake
But it hasn't got
The hansoms in the park
It hasn't got a skyline after dark
That's why New York's my home
Never let me leave it
New York's my home, sweet home
(What about Hollywood)
Hollywood's got movie stars and
Movie czars and cocktail bars and
Shiny cars and a wonderful climate, they say
But it hasn't got
The handy subway train
You seldom find a taxi
When it rains
That's why New York's my home
Keep your California
New York's my home, sweet home
(Geez, what's happening in St.Louis)
Lots of people like St.Louis
It's got lots of shoes
And the St.Louis blues and
One of our larger rivers runs by
But it hasn't got the opera in The Met
It hasn't got a famous string quartet
That's why New York's my home
No, not a place to visit
New York's my home, sweet home
(San Francisco)
San Francisco is a lovely place
It's got lots of hills
And lots of thrills and it's
On an ocean of some size
But it hasn't got
The Bowery or The Bronx
It hasn't got the Harlem honkytonks
That's why New York's my home
Yeah, it's my favorite city
New York's my home, sweet home
So, save your time and trouble
I say save your railroad fare
I said save your time and trouble, brother
Save your railroad fare
Cause when you leave New York
Let me say, you ain't going nowhere
Ray Charles New York's My Home
Listen all you New Yorkers
There's a rumour going around
That some of you good people
Want to leave this town
But you better consult me before you go
(Why?)
Cos I've been in all these places
And I know
(Chicago) Chicago's all right
It's got the Wrigley Field and
Soldier's Field and Marshall Field
and it's on a nice lake
But it hasn't got
The hansoms in the park
It hasn't got a skyline after dark
That's why New York's my home
Never let me leave it
New York's my home, sweet home
(What about Hollywood)
Hollywood's got movie stars and
Movie czars and cocktail bars and
Shiny cars and a wonderful climate, they say
But it hasn't got
The handy subway train
You seldom find a taxi
When it rains
That's why New York's my home
Keep your California
New York's my home, sweet home
(Geez, what's happening in St.Louis)
Lots of people like St.Louis
It's got lots of shoes
And the St.Louis blues and
One of our larger rivers runs by
But it hasn't got the opera in The Met
It hasn't got a famous string quartet
That's why New York's my home
No, not a place to visit
New York's my home, sweet home
(San Francisco)
San Francisco is a lovely place
It's got lots of hills
And lots of thrills and it's
On an ocean of some size
But it hasn't got
The Bowery or The Bronx
It hasn't got the Harlem honkytonks
That's why New York's my home
Yeah, it's my favorite city
New York's my home, sweet home
So, save your time and trouble
I say save your railroad fare
I said save your time and trouble, brother
Save your railroad fare
Cause when you leave New York
Let me say, you ain't going nowhere






![Ray Charles If You Go Away
If You Go Away is a song in English based upon the French song Ne me quitte pas (1959), written by Jacques Brel. The English lyrics were written by Rod McKuen as part of a larger project to translate Brels work. If You Go Away is considered a pop standard and has been recorded by many artists, including Greta Keller, for whom some say McKuen wrote the lyrics.[1] Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Brenda Lee, Violetta Villas, Shirley Bassey, Daliah Lavi, Marc Almond, Emilíana Torrini, Neil Diamond, Scott Walker, Farhad Mehrad, Dusty Springfield, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Patricia Kaas, Terry Jacks have also recorded versions of it, with several of the numerous versions becoming hits and achieving success on the charts.
The complex melody is partly derivative of classical music - the poignant But if you stay... passage comes from Liszts Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6. Ray Charles If You Go Away](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/y34XYuZwqyQ/mqdefault.jpg)
