Poems & Lyrics Inspired By Brooklyn

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At Brooklyn Org we know that the arts are essential for our communities to thrive — and in honor of National Poetry Month, we’re sharing some of the countless odes to the borough we all love. From classic poetry to modern anthems, here are a few excerpts inspired by Brooklyn:

The Brooklyn Bridge

Sung By Frank Sinatra, Written By Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne

Like the folks you meet on
Like to plant my feet on the Brooklyn Bridge
What a lovely view from
Heaven looks at you from the Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Go Hard

By Jay-Z

Spread love, Biggie; Brooklyn, hippie
I pity the fool with jewels like Mr. T
With no history in my borough, they borrow
With no intentions of returning tomorrow

Brown Girl, Brownstones

By Paule Marshall

Glancing down the interminable Brooklyn street you thought of those joined brownstones as one house reflected through a train of mirrors, with no walls between the houses but only vast rooms yawning endlessly one into the other. Yet, looking close, you saw that under the thick ivy each house had something distinctively its own.

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

By Walt Whitman

Flow on, river! flow with the flood-tide, and ebb with the ebb-tide!
Frolic on, crested and scallop-edg’d waves!
Gorgeous clouds of the sunset! drench with your splendor me, or the men and women generations after me!
Cross from shore to shore, countless crowds of passengers!
Stand up, tall masts of Mannahatta! stand up, beautiful hills of Brooklyn!