The ragman draws circles
Up and down the block
I'd ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don't talk
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape
But deep inside my heart
Lord, I know I can't escape
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again?
Shakespeare, he's in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells
Speaking to some French girl
Who says she knows me well
And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked
But the post-office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again?
Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line
She said that all the railroad men
Drink up your blood like wine
And I said, "Oh, I didn't know that
But then again, there's only one I've met
And he just smoked my eyelids
And punched my cigarette"
Ooh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again
Grandpa died last week
Now he's buried in the rocks
Everyone still talks about
How badly they were shocked
But me, I expected it to happen
When I'd seen him lose control
He built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again?
Well, now Ruthie said come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon
Where I can watch her waltz for free
'Neath her Panamanian moon
I said, "Oh, come on now
You must know about my debutante"
She said, "Your debutante knows what she needs
But I know what you want"
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again?
Now the bricks, they fall on Grand Street
By the neon madmen climb
They'd all fall there so perfectly
It all seems so well timed
And here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again?
Up and down the block
I'd ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don't talk
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape
But deep inside my heart
Lord, I know I can't escape
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again?
Shakespeare, he's in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells
Speaking to some French girl
Who says she knows me well
And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked
But the post-office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again?
Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line
She said that all the railroad men
Drink up your blood like wine
And I said, "Oh, I didn't know that
But then again, there's only one I've met
And he just smoked my eyelids
And punched my cigarette"
Ooh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again
Grandpa died last week
Now he's buried in the rocks
Everyone still talks about
How badly they were shocked
But me, I expected it to happen
When I'd seen him lose control
He built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again?
Well, now Ruthie said come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon
Where I can watch her waltz for free
'Neath her Panamanian moon
I said, "Oh, come on now
You must know about my debutante"
She said, "Your debutante knows what she needs
But I know what you want"
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again?
Now the bricks, they fall on Grand Street
By the neon madmen climb
They'd all fall there so perfectly
It all seems so well timed
And here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again?
