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 hay,
And Lumash stepped between them
and he died there in his tracks
For one man is no army
when the city turns its back
But now the streets are empty,
now the streets are dark
So keep an eye on shadows
and nev er pass the park
For the city is a jungle
when the Lord is out of sight
And death looks in El Barrio
with the orphans of the night
He left behind a chamber
of a church he served so long
Where 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
But now the streets are empty
Now the streets are dark
So keep an eye on the shadows
And never pass the park
For the city is a jungle
When the law is out of sight
And death looks an albarrio
With the orphans of the night
There were two gangs approaching
In Spanish Harlem town
The smell of blood was in the air
and the chal lenge 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 lore is out of sight
And death looks in El Barrio
with the orphans of the night
Will Lumash, life forgotten,
in his cold and silent grave
Will his memories 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,
the tombstone of us all
But now the streets are empty,
now the streets are dark
So keep an eye on the shadows
and nev er pass the park
For the city is a jungle
when the Lord is out of sight
And death lurks in our barrio
With the orphans of the night