I said goodbye baby : oh yes i got to go
I don't want to be wearing mustache : ooo well mistreated for mr so‑and‑so

I say the hard luck and trouble : every place i go
I believe somebody put bad luck on me : ooo well i believe now it's time to go

I had money baby : i even had friends for miles around
Well all the money gone : ooo well and my friends cannot be found

I started down : i started down in polack town
Seem like the snitches and the police babe : trying to tear poor joe's reputation down

Now you can hear me when i'm down : be the same way when i rise
I got a gal in east st louis : she lives in polack town