They say she arrived in New Orleans

Just after the waters went down

The streets were dark and eerie

There was no one else around

She got off the Greyhound bus

On the corner of Rue Royale

She was hoping to make some money

Just like every other pretty gal

She met a lonely man

In a lonely corner bar

He asked her to go for a ride

In his big fancy car

She said, “Hold on, Daddy.”

Like she was running the show

She thought she was in charge

But that's what she didn't know

They say, “Real bad things

Happen after midnight

Down in New Orleans

When the devil takes a bite.”

She said, “I don't come cheap

But I’ll love you really well

I’ll set your world on fire

I'll make you hot as hell.”

He just smiled to himself

It was him she should fear

He took her far, far away

Where he knew no one would hear

They drove his car to the river

Where the current ran fast

She couldn't wait to start loving

And earn some money at last

With the stars shining bright

A full moon in the sky

He bit her gently on the neck

And he sucked her blood dry

They say, “Real bad things

Happen after midnight

Down in New Orleans

When the devil takes a bite.”

She knew she had met her match

But she couldn't move or shout

As she took her last breath

That's when her luck ran out

He took her bare, naked body

And left her near the rivershore

As the morning tide began to rise

The girl was heard from no more

When you arrive in New Orleans

To try to make yourself some money

It's your soul the devil wants

I'm here to tell you, honey

That's the story of New Orleans

And it's the story we’re here to tell

They may think they're going to heaven

But they all in up in hell

They say, “Real bad things

Happen after midnight

Down in New Orleans

When the devil takes a bite.”

© 2023 Jeffrey Pipes Guice

The illustration is by Charles Eisen. Circa 1896.