I was walkin' down Decatur with the wind in my hair and the Mississippi singin' with the tambourine player I felt something a-pullin' me from up on the road And I couldn't help but stare
Well she was standin' on the corner with a light in her eyes And the fire on her fingers twirling high in the sky She exhaled and disappeared I thought perhaps that I was dreamin' Till she caught my arm and pulled me inside
and from a cloud of white smoke came her nails of red she catches me eye as I turn my head and she says: glory to the bayou, glory to the bayou, to the water that still runs inside you
the next thing I remember she had left me at the bar and through the faded velvet curtain I could just make out the stars I wander towards the door to find me some air and watch the dancin' headlights of the approaching cars
I settle on the curb next to a man on my right and we gaze out at the water and he says now ain't that a sight in silence I agree with him and watch the river rollin' when he offers me a cigarette I ask him for a light
and the crystalline beads hang like leaves from the sky I turn around to question him but there's no reason why, he just says: glory to the bayou, glory to the bayou, to the water that still runs inside you glory to the bayou, glory to the bayou, to the water that still runs inside you
I wake up in the morning with an ache behind my eyes and my memories are blurred although I can't say I'm surprised I head down to Betsy's for a cup of chicory when I walk in the door she says, child
come sit down and talk for a while and I can see the years of pain behind her easy smile so I pull up a chair and I wait for her to begin she says this is what it sounded like when hell fell from the sky
and the people all cried, yeah they fell to their knees but the loudest screams of all well they were comin' from the trees and they said: glory to the bayou, glory to the bayou, to the water that still runs inside you there's blood in the bayou, there's blood in the bayou, there's blood and there's water that's still runnin' inside of you