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Bells of New York City Lyrics
There's a pale winter moon in the sky coming through my window
And the park is laid out like a bed below
It's a cold dark night and my heart melts like snow
And the bells of New York City tell me not to go
It's always this time of year that my thoughts undo me
With the ghosts of many lifetimes all abound
But from these mad heights I can always hear the sound
Of the bells of New York City singing all around
Stay with me oh stay with me
Refuge from these broken dreams
Wait right here oh wait with me
On silent snow filled streets
Sing to me one song for joy and one for redemption
And whatever is in between that I call mine
With the street lamp light to illuminate the gray
And the bells of New York City calling me to stay
The bells of New York City calling me to stay
And the park is laid out like a bed below
It's a cold dark night and my heart melts like snow
And the bells of New York City tell me not to go
With the ghosts of many lifetimes all abound
But from these mad heights I can always hear the sound
Of the bells of New York City singing all around
Refuge from these broken dreams
Wait right here oh wait with me
On silent snow filled streets
And whatever is in between that I call mine
With the street lamp light to illuminate the gray
And the bells of New York City calling me to stay
The bells of New York City calling me to stay
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I was mulling the lyrics over in my head today and I realized that they could be interpreted as someone contemplating suicide. The 'park laid out like a bed below' was what convinced me, as well as the bells 'telling him not to go'. I am not well-versed in Josh's personal life by any means, but the realization of this possible meaning was quite striking to me. It's a superbly composed song. He's something else, this guy. <3
Alandree - yes, it could be interpreted that way, I suppose. However, Josh actually mentioned this at his concert when I went to it (he wrote the song himself) - whenever he visited New York before, he always felt a special connection to the city - the landmarks, its history, its people - and eventually he moved there to live permanently. He wrote this as a sort of love song to NYC, and to portray it as more of a place of beauty, rather than a 'concrete jungle.' I really like your interpretation as well, though! I didn't think of it that way.