Beale Street Blues

by Lena Horne , Louis Armstrong , Nat King Cole

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BEALE STREET BLUES
By: W. C. Handy
Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong
Key: Bb

-7*   -6  -6* 7 -6*  77* 7   -5   -6
I've seen the lights of gay Broad-way, 
-7* -6*  7   -7*    -6* 7  -7*  7  -5* -7*
Old Mar-ket Street down by the Fris-co Bay, 
 -5    -5*    -6  -6  -6
I've strolled the Pra-do, 
 -6   7   -7  7  -6   -7*
I've gam-bled on the Bourse; 

-7* -6 -6*  7  -6*  7   7*   7    -5   -6 
The sev-en won-ders of the world I've seen, 
-7* -6* 7 -7* -6*  7  -7* 7  -5*  -7*
And man-y are the pla-ces I have been, 
 -5 -5* 6   -6    -6
Take my ad-vice, folks, 
-6  7-7   7     -6    -7*
and see Beale Street first! 

  -9   -9   -7* 7   -7*  -10  -9 -7* -7*  -7*
You'll see pret-ty browns in beau-ti-ful gowns, 
 -7*   -7*  -7* -7* -7    7   8   8    8
You'll see tail-or-mades and hand-me-downs, 
  8*    -9  -7*  7  -7*
You'll meet hon-est men, 
-10  -10 -9*   7    -7*
and pick-pock-ets skilled, 
 -7*    8    8*  -9   -7*   8  8*  -9 -7*
You'll find that bus-'ness nev-er clos-es 
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'til some-bod-y gets killed! 

-9  -9     -7*    7   -7*
If Beale Street could talk, 
-10 -9     -7*    7    -7*
if Beale Street could talk, 
-7*  -7* -7*  -7*   -7  -7
Mar-ried men would have to 
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take their beds and walk, 
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Ex-cept one or two who nev-er drank booze, 
 8   8*  -9   -7* 8   8* -9  -7*
And the blind man on the cor-ner 
-10  -9   -7*   7    -6     -7*  
Who sings the Beale Street Blues!

Key: Eb

-7* -7* -7* -7* -7*  -6*-6*-6* -6* -6  -5* 
I'd rath-er be here than an-y place I know, 
-7* -7* -7* -7* 7*   -5* -6-5* -6* -6  -5*
I'd rath-er be here than an-y place I know, 
 -3*  5    5*  -5  -7*  7*   7*   
It's goin' to take the ser-geant 
-6* -6* -6* -6 -5*
for to make me go! 

 -7* -7* -7* -7* -7* -6*-6* -6* -6 -5*
Goin' to the riv-er, may-be by and bye, 
 -7* -7* -7* -7* 7*
Goin' to the riv-er, 
-5*   -6   -5*-6* -6  -5*
And there's a rea-son why
-3*  5    5* -7* -7*   7*
Be-cause the riv-er's wet, 
-6*  -6*     7      7    -6  -5*
and Beale Street's done gone dry!