Christine Lavin Waiting For The `b` Train Lyrics

Waiting For The `b` Train Lyrics

I dropped a token into the slot.
Pushed through the turnstile.
There was a
woman at the end of the platform
Waiving her arms around, kind of
wild.

"Come here," she wailed. "There's a puppy on the rails.
I think
it has been hurt."
I raced down to where she was pointing
to see a ball of
fur covered with dirt.

"It must be dead," I said to her,
as I turned
to leave.
"No, it's alive," she cried. "Just before you got here,
I
swear, I saw it breath."

"And I'll watch for the train if you'll jump
down.
Pick him up and hand it to me.
If we take him to the vet, if we
save his life,
Think how wonderful that'll be."

I looked into the
tunnel, there was no train in sight.
I looked at the furry thing lying
there, a truly pitiful sight.
"Look," I said. "I'm not sure that's a
puppy.
Could be a lice-infested, long-haired rat.
And it's gotta be dead,
so I'm not jumping down,"
and I figured that that was that.


But by
now more people arrived on the platform, and she said,
"Help. There's a puppy
on the tracks."
They looked for a moment, and like true New
Yorkers,
collectively turned their backs.
She said, "Somebody's gotta do
something,"
As we slowly turned around again.
"Someone must have the
courage to save him.
It's a puppy. It's man's best friend."

"Trains
come through here every few minutes."
Said a man wearing madras
pants.
"And it's way too dangerous. You'd have to be nuts,
to take such a
foolish chance."
But the woman was insistent. "In the time we've been
debating,"
She said "One of you could've jumped down.
Handed him to me,
by now that puppy could be
at the animal shelter cross town!"

We felt
bad, but no one would do it.
Then a transit cop appeared.
Down at the
other end of the platform
We all yelled "Hey you! Come here!"
He ran to
us, I pointed to the train tracks and said,
"See that thing, furry, not to
big.
What do you think it is, he looked and said,...

"What? You mean
that wig?"

We stepped back. A rush of embarrassment swept right through
the crowd.
Accented by the blast of a train whistle,
Approaching and
growing quite loud.
The "B" train flattened that furry thing.
We got on
board, went on our way.
Grateful that we did not risk our lives
to save a
life of a wig that day.



So if you see something on the train
tracks,
Take a tip from me.
Don't let anybody talk you into saving
it,
It's best to just let it be.
And if you see a person wearing
what
looks like a puppy on their head,
Don't call the police, it's only a
wig,...

..and chances are it's already dead.