I was sittin' on a stump
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Down in New Orleans,
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I was feelin' kinda low down,
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Dirty and mean.
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Along came a fella
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And he didn't even ask.
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He says, "I know of a woman
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That can fix you up fast."
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I didn't think twice,
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I said like I should,
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"Let's go find this lady
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That can do me some good."
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We walked across the river
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On a sailin' spree
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And we came to a door
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Called one-oh-three.
|
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I was just about ready
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To give it a little knock
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When out comes a fella
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Who couldn't even walk.
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He's linkin' and a-slinkin',
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Couldn't stand on his feet,
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And he moaned and he groaned
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And he shuffled down the street.
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Well, out of the door
|
There comes another man.
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He wiggled and he wobbled,
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He couldn't hardly stand.
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He had this frightened
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Look in his eyes,
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Like he just fought a bear,
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He was ready to die.
|
|
Well, I peeked through the key crack,
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Comin' down the hall
|
Was a long-legged man
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Who couldn't hardly crawl.
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He muttered and he uttered
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In broken French,
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And he looked like he'd been through
|
A monkey wrench.
|
|
Well, by this time
|
I was a-scared to knock,
|
I was a-scared to move,
|
I's in a state of shock.
|
I hummed a little tune
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And I shuffled my feet
|
And I started walkin' backwards
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Down that broad street.
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Well, I got to the corner,
|
I tried my best to smile.
|
I turned around the corner
|
And I ran a bloody mile.
|
Man, I wasn't runnin'
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'Cause I was sick,
|
I was just a-runnin'
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To get out of there quick.
|
|
Well, I tripped right along
|
And I'm a-wheezin' in my chest.
|
I musta run a mile
|
In a minute or less.
|
I walked on a log
|
And I tripped on a stump,
|
I caught a fast freight
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With a one-arm jump.
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So, if you're travelin' down
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Louisiana way,
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And you feel kinda lonesome
|
And you need a place to stay,
|
Man, you're better off
|
In your misery
|
Than to tackle that lady
|
At one-oh-three.
|
|
-----------------
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Bob Dylan's New Orleans Rag
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Bob Dylan |