Have you seen my baby
On the avenue?
You know she’s driving me crazy
With the funny things she do
I seen her with the milkman
Ridin’ down the street
When you’re through with my baby, milkman
Send her home to me

Hold on, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on
You know it’s been so long
Since she have been gone
Hold on, hold on, hold on

I seen her with the gypsies
Dancin’ in the wood
She’s always been unfaithful to me
She ain’t never been no good
I say, “Please don’t talk to strangers, baby”
But she always do
She say, “I’ll talk to strangers if I want to
‘Cause I’m a stranger, too”

Hold on, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on
You know it’s been so long
Since she have been gone
Hold on, hold on, hold on

Let’s burn down the cornfield
Let’s burn down the cornfield
And we can listen to it burn
You hide behind the oak tree
You hide behind the oak tree
Stay out of danger ’til I return

Oh, it’s so good
On a cold night
To have a fire
Burnin’ warm and bright

You hide behind the oak tree
You hide behind the oak tree
Stay out of danger ’till I return

Let’s burn down the cornfield
Let’s burn down the cornfield
And I’ll make love to you while it’s burning

Will you have whiskey with your water
Or sugar with your tea?
What are these crazy questions
That they’re asking of me?
This is the wildest party that there ever could be
Oh, don’t turn on the light ’cause I don’t want to see

Mama told me not to come
Mama told me not to come
Mama said, “That ain’t no way to have fun”

Open up the window, let some air into this room
I think I’m almost choking on the smell of stale perfume
And that cigarette you’re smoking ’bout to scare me half to death
Open up the window, let me catch my breath

The radio is blasting, someone’s beating on the door
Our hostess is not lasting – she’s out on the floor
I seen so many things here I ain’t never seen before
I don’t know what it is – but I don’t wanna see no more

Mama told me not to come
Mama told me not to come
Mama said, “That ain’t no way to have fun”

I saw your name, baby
In a telephone booth
And it told all about you, mama
Boy, I hope it was the truth
I took down your number
Looked up your address, Sue
And I was hopin’ that maybe
You could love me, too

I’m gonna wait in the shadows
For you to come by
I’m gonna wait in the shadows, baby
For you to come by
And then I’ll jump from the shadows
And try and catch your eye
Gonna run my fingers through your hair
And love you everywhere

Now I don’t want to get too romantic
That’s just not my way
But when I get my arms around you
I’m gonna rock you all the night
Gonna rock you all the day

Suzanne, you won’t know it but I’ll be behind you
Don’t try and run away from me, little girl
Wherever you go I’ll find you
And when you go to the pictures
And I know you do
Don’t take no one with you
‘Cause I’ll be there, too
Suzanne

Don’t send me no young girl to love me
With their eyes shinin’ bright
All the young girls are afraid of me
Send me a woman tonight

Don’t send me no hand-holdin’ baby
‘Cause I been with babies before
Don’t send me nobody that’s crazy
Don’t send me no young girls no more

I was entertaining a little girl up in my rooms, Lord
With California wines and French perfumes, Lord
She started to talk to me about the War, Lord
I said, “I don’t want to talk about the War.”

Don’t send me nobody with glasses
Don’t want no one above me
Don’t send nobody takin’ night-classes
Send me somebody to love me

Please answer my prayer
Please answer my prayer
Please answer my prayer

We met one summer evening
As the sun was going down
She was lying on the beach
In her graduation gown
She was wrapped up in a blanket
(I could tell she knew her way around)
And as I lay down beside her
You know she never made a sound

On down the beach came the beach-cleaning man
Scoopin’ up the papers and flattening down the sand

“Lucinda, Lucinda, Lucinda – we’ve got to run away
That big white truck is closin’ in
And we’ll get wounded if we stay”

Now Lucinda lies buried ‘neath the California sand
Put under by the beach-cleaning man
Lucinda, Lucinda, Lucinda – why’d you have to go?

They sent her to high school
They sent her to low school
She just wouldn’t go no further

Creole ladies walk along with rhythm in their thighs
Rhythm in their hips and in their lips and in their eyes,
Where do highbrows find the kind of love that satisfies?
Underneath the Harlem moon
There`s no fields of cotton; picking cotton is taboo.
They don`t live in cabins like the old folks used to do.
Their cabin is a penthouse up on Lennox Avenue,
Underneath the Harlem moon
They just live for dancing,
They`re never blue or forlorn,
It ain`t no sin to laugh and grin;
That`s why darkies were born.
They shout, “Hallelujah!” every time they`re feeling low.
Every sheik is dressed up like a Georgia gigolo.
You may call it madness but they call it hi-de-ho,
Underneath the Harlem moon

Very far away in a foreign land
Live the yellow woman and the yellow man
He’s been around for many-a-year
They say they were there before we were here

Eatin’ rice all day
While the children play
You see he believes
In the family
Just like you and me

Oh, yellow man, oh, yellow man
We understand, you know we understand

He keeps his money tight in his hand
With his yellow woman he’s a yellow man

Got to have a yellow woman
When you’re a yellow man

Turpentine and dandelion wine
I’ve turned the corner and I’m doin’ fine
Shootin’ at the birds on the telephone line
Pickin’ ’em off with this gun of mine
I got a fire in my belly
And a fire in my head
Goin’ higher and higher
Until I’m dead

Sister Sue, she’s short and stout
She didn’t grow up – she grew out
Mama says she’s plain but she’s just bein’ kind
Papa thinks she’s pretty but he’s almost blind
They don’t let her out much ‘cept at night
But I don’t care ’cause I’m all right

Oh, the sun shines bright on
My Old Kentucky Home
And the young folks roll on the floor
Oh, the sun shines bright on
My Old Kentucky Home
Keep them hard times away from my door

Brother Gene, he’s big and mean
And he don’t have much to say
He had a little woman who he whupped each day
But now she’s gone away
He got drunk last night
Kicked mama down the stair
But I’m all right so I don’t care

Rosemary, won’t you come out tonight?
The moon is shining and the stars are bright
If you stay inside, how can I love you, dear
When you’re up there and I’m down here?

Come on down, we’ll take a walk in the park
I know a place there where it’s nice and dark
I’ll hold yours, baby, and you’ll hold mine
I’m thinking about you all the time

Hear that wind blow
Through your window
And I call your name
I need you so, baby
I’m ready to go, baby
Ain’t that a shame?

Take your shoes off
Come with me
Take your shoes off

Rosemary, won’t you come out tonight?
The moon is shining and the stars are bright
If you stay inside, how can I love you, dear
When you’re up there and I’m down here?
When you’re up there and I’m down here?
Rosemary
Rosemary
Rosemary

There ain’t no moon
There ain’t no stars
Have to close up soon
‘Cause there ain’t no cars
Got no radio
Got no telephone
I’m just awful bored
And I’m so alone

Baby, please come to the station
And I’ll wipe your windshield clean
If you need oil, I’ll give you oil
And I’ll fill your tank with gasoline
Baby, please come to the station
You know I get so lonely there
Bring some wine for inspiration
And wear a ribbon in your hair

Hear those dogs bark
Man, they can feel this cold
And it’s so dark
I need your hand to hold

Baby, please come to the station
You know I need you so tonight
Come and put your arms around me
Baby, come and hold me tight
Please, baby, come to the station
I’ve taken all that I can take
Baby, how can you be sleeping
When you know that I’m awake?

I’m goin’ down to the corner
Gonna have myself a drink
I’m goin’ down to the corner
Gonna have myself a drink
‘Cause that shit that we been usin’
It sure confuse my thinking

I’m goin’ down to the drugstore
Buy myself a goat
Tie him up in my front yard
For all my so-called friends to see
Ain’t nobody gonna look in window and laugh at me
I been up so long
That it looks like down to me

Please don’t talk about me when I’m gone
Baby, are you against me too?

Had a great idea the other night
Come-A-Ti-Yi-Yippie, baby
Look out
When the blue of the night
Meets the gold of the day

We love you
We love you
We love you