Beale Street Blues lyrics

[Intro]
W.C. Handy
I've seen the lights of old gay Broadway
Market Street down by the Frisco Bay
I saw the Prado, I gambled on the Bourse in Paris, France
The seven wonders of this world I've seen
There's many of the different places I have been
But take my advice, folks, and see Beale Street once and that's in Memphis, Tennessee

[Verse 1]
You may have a brown, beautiful gal
Wears tailor-mades and do a little hand-me-down
She understands that I got it to spend
And now I'm going up north, I think I need your booze again

[Verse 2]
You may have a brown take-off toupée
Talk about your whiskеy and your bygone days
Be an honest man and big pockеts too
'Cause your business never closes, somebody gets you
Oh, they get you

[Chorus]
If Beale Street could talk, if Beale Street could talk
Married men would have to pack their bags up and walk
All except for a two that never drink booze
And the blind man on the corner who sings the Memphis blues
[Post-Chorus]
I'd rather be here than any place I know
Rather be here than any place I know
And it's gonna take a sergeant for to make me go (For to make me go)

[Outro]
Well, we'll see the river, baby, by and by
See the river as I sip and I'll tell the reason why
'Cause the river is wet and Memphis done gone dry, gone dry