He did ten years in Attica, reading Nietzsche and Wilhelm Reich
Then he staggered out into the streets of Little Italy
Well he answered, "Just because"
Larry was the oldest, Joey was next to last
They said, "A mass in the old church near the house where he was born"
And emptied out the register, said, "Tell 'em it was Crazy Joe"
Stashed them away in a basement, called them amateurs
It always seemed they got caught between the mob
He could see it comin' through the door as he lifted up his fork
Yet he walked right into the clubhouse of his lifelong deadly foe
"Let's blow this place to kingdom come, let Con Edison take the blame"
Joey, Joey, what made them want to come and blow you away?
And the town of Brooklyn mourned
Then I saw the old man's limousine head back towards the grave
He tried to find the way back into where he left behind
I know the men that shot him down will get what they deserve
I guess he had to say one last goodbye to the son
Someday if God's in heaven overlookin' His preserve
Joey, Joey, what made them want to come and blow you away?
The war broke out at the break of dawn, it emptied out the streets
That he could not save
Till they ventured out behind the lines and took five prisoners
To the boss he said, "I have returned and now I want what's mine"
Some say they lived off gamblin' and runnin' numbers too
"Five to ten" said Joey judge says, "That's just what you get"
I heard his best friend Frankie say, "He ain't dead, he's just asleep"
"What time is it?" said the judge to Joey when they met
"They should never know of one"
There was talk they killed their rivals, but the truth was far from that
The police department hounded him, they called him Mr. Smith
Joey, Joey, king of the streets, child of clay
They got him on conspiracy but they were never sure who with
No one ever knew for sure where they were really at
Sister Jacqueline, sister Carmela and mother Mary all did weep
They threw him in the hole one time for tryin' to stop a strike
Joey and his brothers suffered terrible defeats
It's true that in his later years he would not carry a gun
Joey, Joey, what made them want to come and blow you away?
And the men in blue
Joey, Joey, what made them want to come and blow you away?
Joey, Joey, king of the streets, child of clay
"We're not those kind of men
He dressed like Jimmy Cagney he'd lost a little weight
Joey, Joey, king of the streets, child of clay
The hostages were tremblin' they heard a man exclaim
Joey, Joey, king of the streets, child of clay
Joey, Joey, king of the streets, child of clay
Always on the outside of whatever side there was
They tried to strangle Larry, Joey almost hit the roof
What it's like to be in society with a shackle on your hand
He pushed the table over to protect his family
His closest friends were black men 'cause they seemed to understand
They called Joe 'Crazy' the baby they called 'Kid Blast'
He went out that night to seek revenge, thinkin' he was bulletproof
One day they blew him down in a clam bar in New York
The sun turned cold over President Street
They let him out in '71, I swear he did look great
It's peace and quiet that we need to go back to work again"
"I'm around too many children," he'd say
When they asked him why it had to be that way
But Joey stepped up and he raised his hand, said
> Song: Joey
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