I came in through the bathroom window...: Don't Sleep in the Subway by Petula Clark

Released in April of 1967, "Don't Sleep in the Subway" is a song written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent, performed by Petula Clark.

The song was constructed from three different sections of music previously composed by Hatch and changes in musical style from pop to symphonic and then to a Beach Boys-like melody for the chorus. Maybe that's why I love it so much!

In the lyrics the narrator advises her sweetheart against storming out after an argument due to his "foolish pride". If he does, he will "sleep in the subway" or "stand in the pouring rain" merely to prove his point. Although in the UK the term "subway" refers to a pedestrian underpass rather than an underground transit system, Hatch employed the term in the American sense.

The song is kinda ridiculous when you think about someone storming out and sleeping in the subway. Maybe when the song was written you could sleep on the subway but now it's impossible. You would be kicked out and possibly be arrested if you slept in one. It makes me think back to October when Elle Bunny came to visit me in NYC. We got on the subway and this homeless man was laying down and sleeping. The cops got involved and told him to sit up or get off the train. He sat up and as soon as the doors closed and the train left, he laid back down. Elle and I just giggled to ourselves. Then, this other man (seemed homeless, but couldn't really tell) started preaching to the subway car saying that we should pray for this man and that he needed help. Clearly he did, and I did pray for him but it was quite a scene. God, I love and miss New York!