Blind Willie Harper - Bobby Bare

On a stone cold night in Memphis Willie Harper came to town

With a blue tick hound at his heels and a dime in his shoe

Uh he could make that guitar sing

You should have heard that pavement ring

When Blind Willie Harper played the blues.

And a-he'd sing hey Jenny, why’d you go and leave me

All alone in the dark this way

Hey Jenny, why’d you go and leave with me

With these blind man dues to pay and these blues to play.

In the scarlet light of Beal Street Willie Harper found a home

A any song you name he don’t refuse

Sweet or dirty white or black just drop a nickel in the hat

And hear Blind Willie Harper play the blues.

And a-he'd sing hey Jenny why’d you go and leave me

All alone in the dark this way

Hey Jenny, why’d you go and leave with me

With these blind man dues to pay and these blues to play.

Willie stops in the middle of the song as a love dealin' lady walks by

He says a you smell sweet like someone I once knew

Then he touches her face and some words are said

And a knife blade shines and her blood runs red

Blind Willie walks off singin' the blues.

On a stone cold night in Memphis they took Blind Willie down

They shaved his head took away his shoes

Now from a window of a Beal Street jail cell

Sad as a whipperwill clear as a bell

We heard Blind Willie Harper singin' the blues.

And a-he'd sing hey Jenny why’d you go and leave me

All alone in the dark this way

Hey Jenny, why’d you go and leave with me

With these blind man dues to pay and these blues to play…