The Mayor of MacDougal Street - Tom Paxton

He’s been gone for many years now, that’s for certain.

Left a vacant spot no man can fill.

They closed the hall and someone drew the curtain.

No one’s replaced him yet — no one will.

Hangin' around the Gaslight back in the day,

Laughin' with Dave Van Ronk and hearin' him play

It was Green, Green Rocky Road and play it as it lays,

The devil’s on the bandstand, it’s a helluva tune he plays.

But the devil puts down his banjo and he reaches for the booze

When the Mayor of MacDougal Street’s playin' the blues.

When Dave Van Ronk sat down, the room got quiet.

He strummed a lazy chord on his Guild guitar.

Sounds so sweet, it made you wanna try it;

It made you dream of swingin' on a star.

Hangin' around the Gaslight back in the day,

Laughin' with Dave Van Ronk and hearin' him play

It was Green, Green Rocky Road and play it as it lays,

The devil’s on the bandstand, it’s a helluva tune he plays.

But the devil puts down his banjo and he reaches for the booze

When the Mayor of MacDougal Street’s playin' the blues.

Never knew a man to suffer fools less gladly.

Or to view this world of ours with more jaundiced eye.

I miss this friend of mine, I miss him badly

In this pygmy world, a giant came stompin' by.

Hangin' around the Gaslight back in the day,

Laughin' with Dave Van Ronk and hearin' him play

It was Green, Green Rocky Road and play it as it lays,

The devil’s on the bandstand, it’s a helluva tune he plays.

But the devil puts down his banjo and he reaches for the booze

When the Mayor of MacDougal Street’s playin' the blues.