---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was not easy to go into a subway in…"
description: "\"It was not easy to go into a subway in 1955 at eight o'clock in the morning smelling nice and hanging on the rails with white make-up. I could see peop..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/tiny-tim-9690_easy_it-was-not-easy-to-go-into-a-subway-in-1_2585718.jpg"
---

#  It was not easy to go into a subway in 1955 at eight…

![“It was not easy to go into a subway in 1955 at eight o'clock in the morning smelling nice and hanging on the rails with white make-up. I could see people nudging each other saying, 'What is that?'” quote by Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/tiny-tim-9690_easy_it-was-not-easy-to-go-into-a-subway-in-1_2585718.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/tiny-tim-9690_easy_it-was-not-easy-to-go-into-a-subway-in-1_2585718.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/tiny-tim-9690_easy_it-was-not-easy-to-go-into-a-subway-in-1_2585718.jpg)

> “It was not easy to go into a subway in 1955 at eight o'clock in the morning smelling nice and hanging on the rails with white make-up. I could see people nudging each other saying, 'What is that?'”

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A vivid, surreal description of a chaotic, early‑morning subway scene, highlighting social awkwardness and absurdity.

**In simple terms:** A strange, noisy subway ride in 1955.

Key Takeaway

Observe and adapt to odd social moments.

Themes

urban life absurdity social awkwardness

Mood

reflective nostalgic

Type

literary observational

When to use this quote

- commuting
- public transport
- early morning routines
- social observation

Key Concepts

surrealism modernism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does the setting affect behavior?
- What does the white make‑up symbolize?

A Different Perspective

May overlook deeper social commentary on conformity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Easy Subway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-subway-1816937/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Hanging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hanging/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Nudging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-nudging-1816939/) [Smelling Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smelling-nice-1816938/) [Subway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subway/) [Subway 1955](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subway-1955-1816936/)

## Related quotes

> [In fact, everybody should wake up smelling nice. I go further, there is not an excuse, ever, not to smell nice, particularly your feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/in-fact-everybody-should-wake-up-smelling-nice-i-go-further-there-is/)

[A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/)

> [Since the same human mire remains beneath, does not all civilization reduce itself to the superiority of smelling nice and living well?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/since-the-same-human-mire-remains-beneath-does-not-all-civilization/)

[Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/)

> [“Living in New York City was worse than being in combat. People were herded about like cattle and always seemed in a godawful rush…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-e-talmadge/living-in-new-york-city-was-worse-than-being-in-combat-people-were/)

[Herman E. Talmadge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-e-talmadge/)

> [“There is nothing Tourettic about the New York City subways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/there-is-nothing-tourettic-about-the-new-york-city-subways/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [I've definitely run from the cops in the New York City subways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/i-ve-definitely-run-from-the-cops-in-the-new-york-city-subways/)

[Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/)

> [I hate people walking down the street listening to the soundtrack of their lives which responds to them but not their setting. I hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/i-hate-people-walking-down-the-street-listening-to-the-soundtrack-of/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [I am a Black revolutionary woman, and because of this i have been charged with and accused of every alleged crime in which a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/i-am-a-black-revolutionary-woman-and-because-of-this-i-have-been/)

[Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/)

> [Do you know, I always imagine that the subway trains are dragons,' Rose said to Bear as they clung to his coat for support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-doman/do-you-know-i-always-imagine-that-the-subway-trains-are-dragons-rose/)

[Regina Doman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-doman/)

> [For me, being on set is no different than being at a dinner table or riding the subway next to someone; inevitably their life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-mahoney/for-me-being-on-set-is-no-different-than-being-at-a-dinner-table-or/)

[Victoria Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-mahoney/)

> [Ninety percent of what's wrong with you could be cured with a hot bath, says God from the bowels of the subway. but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-karr/ninety-percent-of-what-s-wrong-with-you-could-be-cured-with-a-hot/)

[Mary Karr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-karr/)

> [Sharing a room with a cadaver is only mildly different from being in a room alone. They are the same sort of company as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/sharing-a-room-with-a-cadaver-is-only-mildly-different-from-being-in/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [I was haunted always by my other life-my drab room in the Bronx, my square foot of the subway, my fixation upon the day's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-was-haunted-always-by-my-other-life-my-drab-room-in-the-bronx-my/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [There are a lot of New York City Thanksgiving traditions. For example, a lot of New Yorkers don't buy the frozen Thanksgiving turkey. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/there-are-a-lot-of-new-york-city-thanksgiving-traditions-for-example/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [I'm practicing a kind of meandering faith, or faithful meandering. I just trust that something is coming. I don't know what it is. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jones/i-m-practicing-a-kind-of-meandering-faith-or-faithful-meandering-i/)

[Sarah Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jones/)

> [A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/a-society-that-presumes-a-norm-of-violence-and-celebrates-aggression/)

[Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/)

## More by Tiny Tim

> [I think they should give me a spot on 'Dallas' or 'Dynasty' or one of those shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/i-think-they-should-give-me-a-spot-on-dallas-or-dynasty-or-one-of/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [You sing fast and hope to get out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/you-sing-fast-and-hope-to-get-out/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [There is nothing like youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/there-is-nothing-like-youth/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [Keep walking and keep smiling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/keep-walking-and-keep-smiling/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [I had simply been inspired by Arthur Godfrey (40's) and Ukulele Ike and Cliff Edwards (20's). In there day, they were huge in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/i-had-simply-been-inspired-by-arthur-godfrey-40-s-and-ukulele-ike-and/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [I'm the type of person, I cannot waste time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/i-m-the-type-of-person-i-cannot-waste-time/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [The only thing I pray for is the strength to go out without complaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/the-only-thing-i-pray-for-is-the-strength-to-go-out-without/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [When I look at great singers like Sinatra, Bennett and (Tom) Jones, I see great performers that can really move an audience. I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/when-i-look-at-great-singers-like-sinatra-bennett-and-tom-jones-i-see/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [There are a lot of ups and downs. But there are always people who have it worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/there-are-a-lot-of-ups-and-downs-but-there-are-always-people-who-have/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [I always love the smell of a bat and a glove, or a hockey puck in the winter time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/i-always-love-the-smell-of-a-bat-and-a-glove-or-a-hockey-puck-in-the/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [As long as you're recording and they pay the fee, it's like a lottery ticket. You never stop trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/as-long-as-you-re-recording-and-they-pay-the-fee-it-s-like-a-lottery/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [Be content to be what you are; shiny stones and silver bangles only make you look what you really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/be-content-to-be-what-you-are-shiny-stones-and-silver-bangles-only/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [I had this image before Boy George, before the Beatles, before the Rolling Stones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/i-had-this-image-before-boy-george-before-the-beatles-before-the/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [Death is never polite, even when we expect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/death-is-never-polite-even-when-we-expect-it/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

> [I keep recording and recording, but they always stay on the rack and never get out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/i-keep-recording-and-recording-but-they-always-stay-on-the-rack-and/)

[Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

[Explore all 71 Tiny Tim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/)

## More Easy quotes

> [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [I don't want easy success. It's boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudeep/i-don-t-want-easy-success-it-s-boring/)

[Sudeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudeep/)

> [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/)

[Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [People think that the Club World Cup is an easy competition, but it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keylor-navas/people-think-that-the-club-world-cup-is-an-easy-competition-but-it-s/)

[Keylor Navas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keylor-navas/)

> [New York is large, glamorous, easy-going, kindly and incurious, but above all it is a crucible - because it is large enough to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/new-york-is-large-glamorous-easy-going-kindly-and-incurious-but-above/)

[Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/)

> [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/)

[Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/)

> [Sometimes life can suck and not be fair ,but we have to deal with it,because we feel we cant do anything but,we can.We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-life-can-suck-and-not-be-fair-but-we-have-to-deal-with-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Mortals are such fragile things. Just tender feelings walking around exposed in their delicate shells...Easy to crush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/mortals-are-such-fragile-things-just-tender-feelings-walking-around/)

[Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/)

> [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/)

[Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/)

> [I don't know why, but I'm an easy target. And I don't do anything to dispel it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-mcginley/i-don-t-know-why-but-i-m-an-easy-target-and-i-don-t-do-anything-to/)

[Ted McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-mcginley/)

> [I know that I'm going to have to work hard, keep working hard, and not because of this victory think, "I'm back." I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-clijsters/i-know-that-i-m-going-to-have-to-work-hard-keep-working-hard-and-not/)

[Kim Clijsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-clijsters/)

> [It's easy to make mistakes. It's living with the consequences of them that's the hardest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/it-s-easy-to-make-mistakes-it-s-living-with-the-consequences-of-them/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/)

[J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/)

[Browse all 14,306 Easy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It was not easy to go into a subway in 1955 at eight o'clock in the morning smelling nice and hanging on the rails with white make-up. I could see people nudging each other saying, 'What is that?'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tiny Tim"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/it-was-not-easy-to-go-into-a-subway-in-1955-at-eight-o-clock-in-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Easy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/it-was-not-easy-to-go-into-a-subway-in-1955-at-eight-o-clock-in-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/tiny-tim-9690_easy_it-was-not-easy-to-go-into-a-subway-in-1_2585718.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/tiny-tim-9690_easy_it-was-not-easy-to-go-into-a-subway-in-1_2585718.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/tiny-tim-9690_easy_it-was-not-easy-to-go-into-a-subway-in-1_2585718.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It was not easy to go into a subway in 1955 at eight o'clock in the morning smelling nice and hanging on the…” — Tiny Tim",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Tiny Tim",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It was not easy to go...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/it-was-not-easy-to-go-into-a-subway-in-1955-at-eight-o-clock-in-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/it-was-not-easy-to-go-into-a-subway-in-1955-at-eight-o-clock-in-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
