How many of you were listening to the radio last night?
Old man down
Way down down, down by the docks of the city
Blind and dirty
Asked me for a dime, a dime for a cup of coffee
I got no dime but I got some time to hear his story
My name is August West, and I love my Pearly Baker best, more than my wine
More than my wine
More than my maker, though hes no friend of mine
Everyone said
Id come to no good, I knew I would, Pearly, believe them
Half of my life
I spent doing time for some other fuckers crime
The other half found me stumbling around drunk on burgundy wine
But Ill get back on my feet someday
The good Lord willing, if He says I may
I know that the life Im livings no good
Ill get a new start, live the life I should
Ill get up and fly away
Ill get up and fly away, fly away
Pearlys been true
True to me, true to my dying day, he said
I said to him
I said to him, Im sure shes been
I said to him, Im sure shes been true to you
Got up and wandered
I wandered downtown, nowhere to go but just to hang around
Ive got a girl
Named Bonnie Lee, I know that girls been true to me
Know shes been, Im sure shes been true to me