St. James Infirmary

Transcribed from Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, recorded December 23, 1930.
From Cab Calloway and His Orchestra 1930-1931; The Chronogical Classics 516.

Folks, I'm goin' down to St. James Infirmary,
See my baby there;
She's stretched out on a long, white table,
She's so sweet, so cold, so fair.

Let her go, let her go, God bless her,
Wherever she may be,
She will search this wide world over,
But she'll never find another sweet man like me.

Now, when I die, bury me in my straight-leg britches,
Put on a box-back coat and a stetson hat,
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain,
So you can let all the boys know I died standing pat.

Folks, now that you have heard my story,
Say, boy, hand me another shot of that booze;
If anyone should ask you,
Tell 'em I've got those St. James Infirmary blues.

I went down to St. James Infirmary,
Saw my baby there,
Set down on a long white table,
So sweet, so cold, so fair.
Let her go, let her go, God bless her,
Wherever she may be,
She can look this wide world over,
She'll never find a sweet man like me.
When I die, want you to dress me in straight-leg shoes,
Box back coat and a stetson hat,
Put a 20 dollar gold piece on my watch chain,
So the boys'll know that I died standing pat.

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Published 12/5/98.

Updated 11/1/00.

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