There's a madman from Manhattan
There with a man's hat and a floor mat made of satin
But this cat was not like this or that
But that which was aptly named for a man
Whose plan is a dime in a can downstairs for a dollar
If he can win the time with a dame
He ain't ashamed to holler

Catch a train with the name of an alphabet letter
Had the brains to remain with the dame right up until he let her
Think she was just on the brink of a breakthrough
Just on the brink of a breakthrough
But his dime in her can in the sink is enough to just make you think
That it all comes down to the trust
That is covered in rust that you can't remove
Sneaking around on the grounds that you know that you can't prove
A thing to a judge and a jury

And then of course an angel comes to him and sings, she
Swims under the whiskey with her wings, and
From the inside of a bottle with a shaft of light
She tells him with a song that it is not right
It's not right, it's not right
It's not right, now, it's wrong

But he does not listen to her for long
He says madmen aren't born, they're cultivated
Conned by the con men in the world the marks created
And then he cons himself
He tricks himself into thinking that he is right
It's not right, it's not right
It's not right, now, it's wrong
But then he forgets to put it in a song

There's a madman from Manhattan
There with a man's hat and a floor mat made of satin
But this cat was not like this or that
But that which was aptly named for a man
Whose plan is a dime and a can downstairs for a dollar

Catch a train with the name of an alphabet letter
Had the brains to remain with the dame right up until he let her
Think she was just on the brink of a breakthrough
Just on the brink of a breakthrough
Just on the brink of a breakthrough