Lyrics

I went down to old Joe's bar room,
On the corner by the square
The drinks were bein' served as usual,
And the usual ole' gang was there

On my left stood ole' Joe MacKennedy
His eyes were bloodshot red
As he gazed at the crowd around him
These were the words he said.

I went down to the St. James Infirmary
Saw my baby there
Stretched out on a long, white table
So cold, so sweet, so fair

Gimme Seventeen coal-black horses
To pull that rubber tied hack
Well, it's seventeen miles to the graveyard,
And my baby she ain't never comin' back

Let her go. Let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this wide world over
And never find a better man than me

Hey when I die just bury me
In my high-top Stetson hat
Put a twenty-dollar yea a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain
So the boys will know I died standing pat

And gimme six crap-shootin' pallbearers
And a chorus girl to sing me a song
Put a jazz band yea a jazz band on my hearse wagon
To raise hell as we march along

Now that you've heard my story
Let's have another round of booze
And if anybody here should ever ask you
I've got the St. James Infirmary Blues