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."

chorus
"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 standin´ 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.