53rd & 3rd - Lyrics

Lyrics

The song, written by bassist Dee Dee Ramone, refers to what was then a well-known spot for male prostitution in New York City, known as "the Loop." The area was a center of gay nightlife decades before the West Village became prominent, and was home to well-known hustler bars, most notably Cowboys, Rounds, and Red, from the 1970s through the 1990s. In the bridge, sung by Dee Dee, he is finally chosen but he kills his customer with a razor blade. The police are now chasing him, but at least he "proved no sissy".

Shortly after the song was written, the block between 3rd and Lexington avenues was cleared to make way for one of Manhattan's tallest skyscrapers, the Citigroup Center. Years later, the Lipstick Building was built on the east side of 3rd Avenue at 53rd. However, gay hustlers remained in abundance at bars on 53rd between 3rd and 1st avenues.