[Verse 1]
There's an old cathedral on Second Avenue
Tightly pressed between two buildings
The stained glass peeking past bodegas
It is as you are to me:
A thing of ancient beauty glowing among the pallor

[Pre-Chorus]
I walk by it and feel a heavy lightness rising in my shoes
And every stranger is an angel for a second in ordinary glory ,singing:

[Chorus]
O luck outrageous
O pain courageous
O cheerful, fearful life

[Verse 2]
There’s an old piano in Washington Square
A baby grand upon the concrete
Concertos for the bums and tourists
It is as you are to me:
A thing of ancient beauty ringing amidst the clamor

[Pre-Chorus]
I walk by it and feel a heavy lightness rising in my ear
And every stranger is an angel for a second in ordinary glory, singing:

[Chorus]
O luck outrageous
O pain courageous
O cheerful, fearful life

[Bridge]
I descend to the subway as the local arrives
And I hear the West Side Story minor seventh singing in the rails
It is as we are to me, it is as we are to me:
A broken, searching symphony
A lover's plea for memory
Ringing, singing:

[Chorus]
O luck outrageous
O pain courageous
O agile, fragile soul

[Outro]
O luck outrageous
O love contagious
O cheerful, fearful
O cheerful, fearful
O cheerful, fearful life