In a New York Minute
Don Henley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴Harry got up
Dressed all in black
Went down to the station
And he never came back
They found his clothing
Scattered somewhere down the track
And he won't be down on Wall Street in the morning
He had a home
The love of a girl
But men get lost sometimes
As years unfurl
One day he crossed some line
And he was too much in this world
But I guess it doesn't matter anymore

In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute
Things can get pretty strange
In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute

Lying here in the darkness
I hear the sirens wail
Somebody going to emergency
Somebody's going to jail
You find somebody to love in this world
You better hang on tooth and nail
The wolf is always at the door

In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute
Things can get little strange
In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute

And in these days
When darkness falls early
And people rush home
To the ones they love
You better take a fool's advice
And take care of your own
One day they're here
Next day they're gone

I pulled my coat over my shoulders
And took a walk down through the park
The leaves were falling around me
The groaning city in the gathering dark
On some solitary rock
A desperate lover left his mark,
Baby, I've changed, please come back

What the head makes cloudy
The heart makes very clear
The days were so much brighter
In the time when she was here
I know there's somebody, somewhere
Make these dark clouds disappear
Until that day, I have to believe
I believe, I believe

In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute
You can get out of the way
In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute

In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute
Things can get little strange
In a New York minute
Everything can change (in a New York minute)

In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute

You can get out of the way
In a New York minute

Overall Meaning

The song New York Minute by Don Henley explores the idea that life is fleeting and things can change in an instant, especially in a big city like New York. The lyrics tell the story of a man named Harry who, despite having a home and the love of a girl, becomes lost in the world and ultimately disappears. The opening lines of the song describe Harry getting up and dressing in all black before heading to the station, never to return. The lyrics suggest that Harry has crossed some line and has become too caught up in the fast-paced, cutthroat world of Wall Street. The chorus of the song repeats the idea that in New York, everything can change in a minute, and things can get strange.

The second verse of the song shifts from Harry's story to the singer's own observations of the city. The lyrics describe the sound of emergency sirens and the wolf always being at the door. The message is clear: life in New York is unpredictable, and you need to hold on tight to the people you love. The third verse takes us on a walk through the park, where the singer sees a message left by a desperate lover. The lyrics suggest that despite the darkness and uncertainty of life, the heart can provide clarity and hope. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, reiterating the idea that in a New York minute, everything can change.

Overall, Don Henley's New York Minute is a powerful reflection on the transience of life and the need to hold onto what truly matters, especially in a chaotic city like New York.

Line by Line Meaning

Harry got up
Harry woke up from his sleep

Dressed all in black
He was wearing all black clothes

Went down to the station
He walked towards the train station

And he never came back
He didn't return after leaving for the station

They found his clothing
The authorities found Harry's clothes

Scattered somewhere down the track
His clothes were found scattered along the train tracks

And he won't be down on Wall Street in the morning
Harry won't be seen on Wall Street the next morning

He had a home
Harry had a place he called home

The love of a girl
He had a girlfriend who loved him

But men get lost sometimes
Men lose their way at times

As years unfurl
As time passes by

One day he crossed some line
One day he did something he shouldn't have

And he was too much in this world
He couldn't handle the world anymore

But I guess it doesn't matter anymore
But now it doesn't make any difference

In a New York minute
In an instant

Everything can change
Things can change drastically

Things can get pretty strange
Things can become unusual and unpredictable

Lying here in the darkness
The singer is lying down in darkness

I hear the sirens wail
He hears the sound of police sirens

Somebody going to emergency
Someone is being taken to the hospital in an emergency

Somebody's going to jail
Someone is being taken to jail

You find somebody to love in this world
It's important to find someone to love

You better hang on tooth and nail
You should hold onto that love tightly

The wolf is always at the door
Challenges are always waiting to ambush you

And in these days
In modern times

When darkness falls early
When night comes quickly

And people rush home
People hurry back to their homes

To the ones they love
To be with their loved ones

You better take a fool's advice
It's better to take advice from someone who has made a mistake

And take care of your own
Take care of your family and loved ones

One day they're here
One day they are alive and present

Next day they're gone
The next day they could be gone forever

I pulled my coat over my shoulders
The singer covered himself with his coat

And took a walk down through the park
He went for a walk in the park

The leaves were falling around me
The leaves were falling from the trees

The groaning city in the gathering dark
The city was making a groaning sound as darkness was setting in

On some solitary rock
On a rock by himself

A desperate lover left his mark
Someone wrote a message on the rock in desperation

Baby, I've changed, please come back
The message just says that the writer has changed and wants their loved one back

What the head makes cloudy
The mind can be unclear

The heart makes very clear
But the heart knows what it wants

The days were so much brighter
The past was better and brighter

In the time when she was here
When his loved one was with him

I know there's somebody, somewhere
The singer knows there is someone out there

Make these dark clouds disappear
Who can make the dark clouds go away

Until that day, I have to believe
Until that unknown day, he has to keep believing

I believe, I believe
He believes

You can get out of the way
You can avoid getting hurt if you move out of the way in time

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jai L. Winding, Danny Kortchmar, Don Henley

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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