oh the day was so hot
on st. anthony street
that I slept on my cot
without even a sheet
when I crept to the door
and I cracked it a peek
in the weather did pour
like a pipe sprung a leak
so I slipped on my kicks
and the dress with the scoop
and I did up my lips
and stepped out on the stoop
where the light was so lush
and the air was so sweet
I fell into a hush
in the feverish heat
oh, summer in new orleans
so sudden and stranger than a
fever dream
so I walk to the west
on the cobbles and bricks
mockingbird in a nest
talks in cackles and clicks
tall magnolia trees
when I turn to the south
press their bliss to the breeze
like a kiss to the mouth
so I sat on a stump
til there passed a parade
where the drummers all thumped
and the trumpets all played
til a thundercloud breaks
with a rumble and crack
and the streets turn to lakes
and the people turn back
oh, summer in new orleans
so sudden and stranger than a
fever drea
now I sit on the deck
with the rain on the roof
and the dog is a wreck
and the cat is aloof
and the city don’t sleep
but she crawls into bed
with a grin in her teeth
and a song in her head