She was a woman of mystery And what she wanted I could not see A three-year trip on the dragon Until the clinic had to get me clean
We were a party and always drunk Before I knew it the wreckage sunk Shake, trip, shimmy and we'd do the bump Everybody swingin' to the brown derby jump
The beautiful life is always damned You gotta fall into the quicksand A deadly kiss from a temptress can serve To make a truly wayward man
She's not a talker her teeth are fixed But she's a looker that lives for kicks A nightmare straight from an otto dix Everybody swingin' with the brown derby chicks
I've come a long way and now I'm me The darkest river that meets the sea And all those lights on the harbor seem To be sparklin' in bittersweet
I'm a survivor my heart is tough I'm hangin' in there and that's enough Shake, trip, shimmy and we'd do the bump Everybody swingin' to the brown derby jump