Orrin Schwab follows a man driving through New York City in the deep hours of the night. He starts in Inwood, at the city's northern tip, where the streets glow yellow and the old art deco buildings seem to sleep. Then he speeds downtown to the clubs, across the bridge into Brooklyn, and past the tenements where his great grandparents once lived. Finally he ends up among the wealthy buildings, full of antiques, furs and rugs, that look out over the river.
The speaker mostly observes rather than comments, but the repeated "fast he went" gives the ride a restless, almost compulsive energy. The city seems to hold different worlds: youthful nightlife, family history, and quiet luxury. The mood is dreamy and slightly wistful. By the last line, the speed gives way to stillness, as midtown lies silent and "the night listened."