Shreveport

Well on a greyhound bound for Shreveport I've been too long in my seat Well, I stopped off in a no-name town to grab a bite to eat And the ceiling fans, they hummed above a screened-in patio Crawfish hotter than a chimney fire, the beer was cheap and cold And the bar maid smiled that kind of smile that knocked me off my stool Said, "Hang around, I'll show you things they don't teach in school" Across the way an old blues man was playin' on the street He moaned just like a Black and Tan, I found myself a seat He sang "Lord he lives above us and the Devil sleeps beneath" Well, he growled it mean and low between his three or four gold teeth And I wished I was in Shreveport just a-gamblin' like a fool Well you can learn some things down there they don't teach in school Well I dreamed that night of a pretty girl, I dreamed of a riverboat 'Til a man in blue kicked at my shoe, said "Come on, boy, let's go" I said "Oh Officer, oh Officer please don't take me to jail" He said "You can't sleep outside, now my hands are tied, I knew that feelin' all too well" "And if you play in my town, son, you'll play it by the rules" That downtown night shed light on sights that you won't see in school Out of jail I found myself a-walkin' down the road So glad to hear that old jake-brake come purrin' nice and slow He said "I'm goin' as far as Fayetteville, I've got some room to spare" And he balled the jack on that big black Mack, kickin' back I played it cool From a shotgun seat I learned some things that they don't teach in school And I wished I was in Shreveport just a-gamblin' like a fool Well you can learn some things down there they don't teach in school Well I said, you can learn some things down there they don't teach in school