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
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 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
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 me
With these blind man dues to pay
And these blues to play
Willie stops in the middle of the song
As a love dealing lady walks by
He says 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 singing the blues
On a stone cold night in Memphis
They took Blind Willie down
They shaved his head
And 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 singing 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 me
With these blind man dues to pay
And these blues to play