Chorus:
The faucets are dripping in old New York City,
The faucets are dripping and oh, what a pity,
The reservoir's drying because it's supplying
The faucets that drip in New York.

You can't ask the landlord to put in a washer,
He'd rather you move than to put in a washer,
The faucets are dripping, they sound in my ears,
The tap in the bathroom's been running for years.

(Chorus)

There's a wild streak of green in the sink in the kitchen,
It comes from the rill trickling out of the plumbing,
The streams from the mountains, the pools from the lea,
All run from my faucet and down to the sea.

(Chorus)

You can't ask the landlord to put in a washer,
You can't ask the landlord to mend the old stairs,
He takes in the rents and he lives in Miami,
Where faucets don't drip and there's sun everywheres.

(Chorus)

The faucets are dripping, the landlord's content.
With every new tenant he raises the rent,
The buildings can crumble, the tenants can cry,
There's a shortage of housing, you'll live there or die.

(Chorus)

They're building some buildings and fine city centers,
It's sure working hard on the low-income renters,
They're jammed into rooms with the rat and the fly
Where the faucets all drip and the floor's never dry.

(Chorus)