A bright array of city lights as far as I can see
The great white way shines through the night for lonely guys like me
The cabarets and honky-tonks their flashing signs invite
A broken heart to lose itself in the glow of city lights.

Lights that say forget her name in a glass of sherry wine
Lights that offer other girls for empty hearts like mine
They paint a pretty picture of a world that's gay and bright
But it's just a mask for loneliness behind those city lights.

The world was dark and God made stars to brighten up the night
But God who put the stars above I don't believe made those lights
For it's just a place for men to cry when things don't turn out right
Just a place to run away and hide behind those city lights...