Well we're living here in Allentown
And they're closin' all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they're killing time
Fillin' out forms, standin' in line
Well our fathers fought the Second World War
Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore
Met our mothers at the USO
Asked them to dance and danced with them slow
Yeah we're livin' here in Allentown

But the restlessness was handed down
And it's gettin' very hard to stay
Well we're waitin' here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave
If we worked hard or if we behaved

So our graduations hang on the wall
But they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron and coal and chromium steel
Well we're waitin' here in Allentown

But they've taken all the
Coal from the ground
And the union people crawled away

Well he's a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got
But somethin' happened on the
Way to that place
They threw an American flag in our face

Well we're livin' here in Allentown
And it's hard to keep a good man down
But I won't be givin' up today

It was gettin' very hard to stay yeah
And we're livin' here in Allentown
Livin' here in Allentown yeah oh yeah
Oh yeah Allentown yeah hard to stay
And we're livin' here in Allentown

Copyright: Universal Music Publishing Group
Writer(s): Billy Joel