St. James Infirmary (From the Album - The Story of the Blues) - Della Reese

It was down in Old Joe’s barroom

On the corner by the square

The usual crowd was assembled

And big Joe McKinney was there

He was standing at my shoulder

His eyes were bloodshot red;

He turned to the crowd around him

These are the very words he said:

I went down to the St. James Infirmary

I saw my baby there

She’s laid out on a cold white table

So so cold, so white, so fair."

Let her go, let her go, God bless her

Wherever she may be

She may search this wide world over

She’ll never find a sweet man like me

Oh, when I die, bury me

In my high top Stetson hat;

Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain

God’ll know I died standing pat

I want six crap shooters for pall bearers

Chorus girl to sing me a song

Put a jazz band on my hearse wagon

Raise Hell as I roll along

Roll out your rubber tired carriage

Roll out your old time hat

Twelve men going to the graveyard

And eleven coming back

Now that I’ve told my story

I’ll take another shot of booze

And if anyone should happen to ask you

I’ve got those gamblers' blues