Lightning Strikes (Not Once but Twice)

The lyrics present New York as a loud, restless place where something is always happening. The speaker moves through streets, parks, transit, and neighborhoods, mixing excitement with disorder and sharp observation. Lightning “strikes” becomes a repeated burst of energy: the city seems to flash into view, vivid and unpredictable. By the end, London and New York blur together, as if urban life connects distant places.

Several images make the city feel crowded and contradictory. Buildings that “touch St. Peter’s feet” suggest towering heights, while the “one and only tree” in a garbage-filled park hints at how scarce nature can feel. The transit strike, traffic, and improvised rides show people adapting when normal routines fail. “Everything is in the jar” may suggest that the whole messy city is packed together, though the phrase is deliberately puzzling.

The speaker’s voice is playful and energetic, but not simply celebratory. References to money, hustling, poverty, privilege, and people “lying under every stone” point toward hardship beneath the spectacle. Some lines sound like quick, scattered snapshots rather than a clear story, and the jokes or slang may resist a single meaning. The song can be read as both a lively portrait of city life and a wry reminder that its excitement coexists with inequality and strain.