[Verse 1]
Let the record show it's 1964, in the city of New York
And take the train to Queens and meet a Jewish family
He's the youngest one of three
And his brothers have left home and he's on the same road
Just credits shy of a diploma

[Pre-Chorus]
But he wants to represent the struggling with rent
But he can't live on both sides of the fence

[Chorus]
So he continues to insist that he's no champagne socialist

[Verse 2]
And he's not coming back after studying the facts
He knows of all the problems of the past
But he's quick to concede, that in order to proceed
We can't just keep on preaching what we need

[Pre-Chorus]
To become a working man is to live and work with them
And this is something you can't pretend

[Chorus]
So he continues to insist that he's no champagne socialist
[Ending]
(That he's no champagne socialist)
(He's no champagne socialist)