I look out on the grey of New York City
To see some children playing in the snow
Central Park in winter should look pretty
But New York ain't a place for kids to grow
And my memory takes me back again
To winters that I've seen
Fields and wooded hills
Where snow could fall
And keep it's clean
Where I'd wake unto the wonder
Of the West Virginia morn
City boy
Country born
And I watch the garbage scows plow up the river
Filled with things New Yorkers throw away
I watch the skinny dipping children and I shiver
Lord, that Hudson River ain't no place to play
And my memory takes me back again
To rivers that I've seen
Lazy country rivers
That just flow and feed the green
You can fish them, you can drink them
You can swim them when you're warm
City boy
Country born
And I see the heart of New York City mothers
As they hurry home across the Brooklyn Bridge
To feed their children dixie cups of instant coffee
And frozen TV dinners from the fridge
And my memory takes me back again
To dinners that I've seen
Home cured crispy bacon
Buttered corn and country beans
And a cup of mama's coffee
Cooking stoves that kept me warm
City boy
Country born
Oh, big city boy
Country born