"St. Louis Blues" (1914)
by William Christopher Handy, 1873-1958

1.
I hate to see de ev'nin' sun go down
hate to see de ev'nin' sun go down.
Cause ma baby, he done lef dis town
feelin' tomorrow lak Ah feel today
feel tomorrow lak Ah feel today
I'll pack my trunk make ma get away
St. Louis woman wid her diamon' rings
pulls dat man roun' by her apron strings
'twant for powder an' for store bought hair
de man I love would not gone nowhere.
Got de St. Louis Blues jes as blue as Ah can be
dat man got a heart lak a rook cast in the sea
or else he wouldn't gone so far from me.
[Spoken: Dog-gone it!]

2.
Been to de Gypsy to get ma fortune tole
to de Gypsy done got ma fortune tole.
Cause I'm most wile 'bout ma Jelly Roll
Gypsy done tole me, "don't you wear no black"
yes she done tole me "don't you wear no black"
go to St. Louis you can win him back
help me to Cairo make St. Louis ma-self
git to Cairo find my ole friend Jeff,
gwine to pin ma-self close to his side
if Ah flag his train I sho' can ride.
I loves dat man lak a school boy loves his pie
lak a Kentucky Col'nel loves his mint an' rye
I'll love ma baby till the day Ah die.
[Spoken: Dog-gone it!]

3.
You ought to see dat stovepipe brown of mine
lak he owns de Dimon Joseph line.
He'd make a cross-eyed o' man go stone blind
Blacker than midnight, teeth lak flags of truce
blackest man in de whole St. Louis
blacker de berry sweeter is the juice
about a crap game he knows a pow'ful lot
but when worktime comes he's on de dot
gwine to ask him for a cold ten spot
what it takes to git it he's cert'nly got.
A black headed gal make a freight train jump the track
said a black headed gal make a freight train jump the track
but a red headed woman makes a preacher ball the Jack.

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Extra Choruses (optional)

Lawd, a blond-headed woman makes a good man leave the town,
I said a blond-headed woman makes a good man leave the town,
But a red-headed woman makes a boy slap his papa down.

    Oh ashes to ashes and dust to dust,
    I said ashes to ashes and dust to dust,
    If my blues don't get you my jazzing must.