On the streets of New York City
When the hour was getting late
There were young men armed with knives and guns
Young men armed with hate
And Lou Marsh stepped between them
And died there in his tracks
For one man is no army
When the city turns its back
And now the streets are empty
Now the streets are dark
So keep an eye on shadows
And never pass the park
For the city is a jungle
When the law is out of sight
And death lurks in El Barrio
With the orphans of the night
He left behind the chambers
Of the church he served so long
For he learned the prayers of distant men
Will never right the wrongs
His church became an alley
And his pulpit was the street
And he made his congregation
From the boys he used to meet
And now the streets are empty
Now the streets are dark
So keep an eye on shadows
And never pass the park
For the city is a jungle
When the law is out of sight
And death lurks in El Barrio
With the orphans of the night
There were two gangs approaching
In Spanish Harlem town
The smell of blood was in the air
The challenge was laid down
He felt their blinding hatred
And he tried to save their lives
And the answer that they gave him
Was their fists and feet and knives
And now the streets are empty
Now the streets are dark
So keep an eye on shadows
And never pass the park
For the city is a jungle
When the law is out of sight
And death lurks in El Barrio
With the orphans of the night
Will Lou Marsh lie forgotten
In his cold and silent grave?
Will his memory still linger on
In those he tried to save?
And all of us who knew him
Will now and then recall
And shed a tear on poverty
Tombstone of us all
For now the streets are empty
Now the streets are dark
So keep an eye on shadows
And never pass the park
For the city is a jungle
When the law is out of sight
And death lurks in El Barrio
With the orphans of the night