I've seen the lights of gay Broadway,
Old Market Street, down by the Frisco Bay,
I've strolled the Prado,
I've gambled on the Bourse,
The seven wonders of the world I've seen,
And many are the places I have been.

Take my advice, folks,
And see Beale Street first.
You'll see pretty browns in beautiful gowns,
You'll see tailor-mades and hand-me-downs.
You'll meet honest men and pick-pockets skilled,
You'll find that business never closes till somebody gets killed.

I'd rather be here than any place I know,
I'd rather be here than any place I know.
It's goin' to take the Sergeant
For to make me go.

Goin to the river
Maybe, by and by,
Goin to the river
And there's a reason why:
Because the river's wet,
And Beale Street's gone dry.

You'll see Hog Nose rest'rants and Chitlin' Cafes,
You'll see jugs and tell of by-gone days,
And places, once places, now just a sham,
You'll see Golden Balls enough to pave the New Jerusalem.

Goin' to the river
Maybe, by and by,
Goin' to the river
And there's a reason why:
Because the river's wet,
And Beale Street's gone dry.

I'd rather be here than any place I know,
I'd rather be here than any place I know.
It's goin' to take the Sergeant
For to make me go.

Goin' to the river
Maybe, by and by,
Goin' to the river
And there's a reason why:
Because the river's wet,
And Beale Street's gone dry.

If Beale Street could talk, if Beale Street could talk
Married men would have to take their beds and walk,
Except one or two who never drink booze,
And the blind man on the corner who sings the Beale Street Blues.

I'd rather be here than any place I know,
I'd rather be here than any place I know.
It's goin' to take the Sergeant
For to make me go.