The Sidewalks of New York

Many artists, including Mel Tormé, Duke Ellington, Larry Groce, Richard Barone, and The Grateful Dead, have performed it.

The melody was very similar to an 1892 song called "Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)" by British composer Harry Dacre.

Lawlor returned to the store in about twenty minutes with the musical notes written, and Blake was halfway through the lyrics, having been interrupted by a customer.

Lawlor said that he envisioned a "big husky policeman leaning against a lamppost and twirling his club, an organ grinder playing nearby, and the east side kids with dirty faces, shoes unlaced, stockings down, torn clothes, dancing to the music, while from a tenement window an old Irish woman with a checkered cap and one of those old time checkered shawls around her shoulders, looking down and smiling at the children.

"[1] The words of the song tell the story of Blake's childhood, including the friends (all with Irish surnames) with whom he played as a child, namely Johnny Casey, Jimmy Crowe, Nellie Shannon (who danced the waltz), and Mamie O'Rourke (who taught Blake how to "trip the light fantastic" — an extravagant expression for dancing).

The song is sung in nostalgic retrospect, as Blake and his childhood friends went their separate ways, some leading to success while others did not ("some are up in 'G' / others they are on the hog").

It was said that the ghost of Mamie O'Rourke would never let another Triple Crown winner emerge unless and until The Sidewalks of New York was reinstated as the post parade song for The Belmont Stakes.

The alleged curse ended when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown with his wire-to-wire win at the Belmont Stakes on June 6, 2015.

[8][9] Although the song achieved cultural success shortly after its release, its two authors had sold its copyright to Howley, Haviland, and Company, and earned only $5,000 for their efforts.

[10] After the deaths of Blake and Lawlor, Sidewalks of New York continued as a standard among jazz artists, namely Mel Tormé and Duke Ellington (in 1941), and recorded by musicians of various backgrounds.

While celebrating the perseverance of the city itself, the revised song was released as a single (The Sidewalks of New York 2011), receiving strong airplay and favorable reviews.

The original lyrics are as follows and contain an ethnic slur in the first verse, referring to Italian sidewalk organ grinders.

[12][1] Down in front of Casey's old brown wooden stoop On a summer's evening we formed a merry group Boys and girls together we would sing and waltz While the Guinea played the organ on the sidewalks of New York East Side, West Side, all around the town The tots sang "ring-around-rosie," "London Bridge is falling down" Boys and girls together, me and Mamie O'Rourke Tripped the light fantastic on the sidewalks of New York That's where Johnny Casey, little Jimmy Crowe Jakey Krause, the baker, who always had the dough Pretty Nellie Shannon with a dude as light as cork She first picked up the waltz step on the sidewalks of New York Things have changed since those times, some are up in "G" Others they are wand'rers but they all feel just like me They'd part with all they've got, could they once more walk With their best girl and have a twirl on the sidewalks of New York In 1923, a film was made based on the song.

(lyrics used by permission of the writer) This song is sung by John Thackery (Clive Owen) while learning to ride a bicycle on The Knick, which is set in New York City in 1900.

There is a 1981 live album by Bob James recorded at different concert locations in New York City called All around the town.