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St. James Infirmary
Hugh Laurie Lyrics

I went down to St James Infirmary
Saw my baby there
She was stretched out on a long white table
So cold, so sweet, so sweet, so fair

Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She can search this whole wide world over
She won't ever find another man like me

When I die, bury me in straight laced shoes,
A box backed suit and a Stetson hat
Put a 20 dollar gold piece on my watch chain;
So the boys'll know I died standin' pat

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alf Clausen

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According to the Saint James Infirmary Songfacts, the song is based on an old English tune, "The Unfortunate Rake," that made its way over to America. The song's title is derived from St. James Hospital in London, a religious foundation for the treatment of leprosy. It was closed in 1532 when Henry VIII acquired the land to build St. James Palace. The lyrics tell the tale of a man explaining to the singer/narrator, at a bar, how he went down to St. James Infirmary and tragically found his girl (the so-called "baby") dead.