Citizen Ship
Read Citizen Ship lyrics by Patti Smith on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Citizen Ship
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
I was nothing. It didn't matter to me
Ah, there were tags all over my sleeve
There was water outside the windows
And children in the streets [ ] rats with tags
Ain't got a passport
Ain't got my real name
Ain't got a chance, sport, at fortune and fame
And I walk these endless streets, won't you give me a lift
A lift, a lift on your citizen ship
They were rioting in Chicago, movement in L.A
Sixty-eight it broke up the yardbirds
We were broke as well
Took it underground, M.C. borderline, up against the wall
The wall. The wall
Show your papers, boy
Citizen ship we got mem'ries
Stateless, they got shame
Cast adrift from the citizen ship
Lifeline denied, exiled this castaway
Blind alley in New York City, in a foreign embrace
If you're hungry you're not too particular about what you'll taste
Men in uniform gave me vinegar, spoon of misery
But what the hell, I fell, I fell
It doesn't matter to me
Citizen ship, we got mem'ries
Citizen ship, we got pain
Cast adrift from the citizen ship
Lifeline denied, exiled this castaway
I was caught like a moth with its wings outta sync
Cut the chord, overboard, just a refugee
Lady liberty, lend a hand to me, I've been cast adrift
Adrift, adrift, adrift, adrift, adrift, adrift
On the citizen ship we got mem'ries
Citizen ship, we got pain
Lose your grip on the citizen ship
You're cast, you're cast away
On the citizen ship you got mem'ry
Citizen ship you got pain
Citizen ship you got identity
A name. A name. A name
What's your name, son?
What's your name?
What's your name?
[?]
Nothing, I got nothing
[?] Jersey
Give me your tired, your poor
Give me your huddled masses
Your wartorn places
Give me your wartorn and your [?]
Lift up your [?] unto me
Ah, mythology
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "Citizen Ship"?
Patti Smith performs "Citizen Ship", and this lyric page sits inside the Patti Smith catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Citizen Ship"?
Yes. The related section below points to Looking For You (I Was) and After The Gold Rush with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Patti Smith?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Patti Smith's lyric pages.
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
What people are saying
No listener comments on Citizen Ship yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.