Oh, 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, 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 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 could watch her waltz for free 'neath her Panamanian moon"
And I said, "Aw come on now, you know you know about my debutante"
She said, "Your debutante just knows what you need
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 where 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?