Chorus:

Oh the boy was on the bench,

And the judge was in the dock,

And the people on the jury

Were the people from the block.

Well, Costello was the lawyer,

And DeSapio was there,

And they made a lot of motions,

And their clamor filled the air,

And they said it was outrageous

That His Honor had to be

Hauled up before the common folk

And forced to make a plea.

But the (Chorus)

And the father of the boy,

He was prosecutor here,

And he made the accusation,

And he spoke up loud and clear,

And he pointed to the pris'ner,

A member of the bar,

And he said, "A crew of gangsters

Have put you where you are."

And the (Chorus)

And he said, "I am a voter,

But my vote is less than straw,

For the gunmen, they elect you,

And they're out beyond the law,

And the gangsters rule the city,

And they're gangsters, one and all,

From the financiers in Wall Street

To the clowns in city hall.

(Chorus)

"So the boys in this big city

Learn the lesson, every one,

If you want to rule the Mayor

You will have to shoot a gun.

So they form their little street gangs

On the model that you give,

And the lesson that you teach them

Is, they have to kill to live.

(Chorus)

"And their primer is the shakedown

From the time they shine a shoe,

And it's shake down or be shaken,

That's the rule they learn from you.

The machine that rules the city

Has no use for them at all

Till they have a gang to offer

That's as tough as city hall.

(Chorus)

"Do you dare to sit in judgment

On this thing that you have made?

It is time you wore the handcuffs

And sat shivering afraid.

It is time to pass the sentence

Where the sentence ought to be.

It is time for you to answer,

And I rest my case," said he.

(Chorus)