Blues in the Night
Mercer Lyrics

My mama done tol' me,
My mother taught me,

When I was in knee pants,
When I was young,

My mama done tol' me, Son!
My mother told me, son!

A woman'll sweet talk
Women often flatter people,

And give ya the big eye;
And show signs of affection,

But when the sweet talkin's done,
But after the flattery is over,

A woman's a two face
Women can be insincere and deceptive,

A worrisome thing
This can be concerning,

Who'll leave ya t'sing
And cause one to feel sorrow,

The blues in the night
A feeling of sadness and loneliness at night.

Now the rain's a-fallin',
Now it is raining,

Hear the train a-callin'
Hear the sound of the train,

Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
An exclamation, reminiscent of the mother's warning,

Hear that lonesome whistle
Listen to the sad sound of the whistle,

Blowin' `cross the trestle,
Blowing across the bridge,

Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
A repetition of the earlier warning,

A whoo-ee-duh-whoo-ee, ol' clickety clack's
The sound of the train passing by,

A-echoin' back the blues in the night
Echoing and emphasizing the loneliness and sadness of the night,

The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
The evening breeze makes trees sway,

And the moon'll hide its light
And the moon will hide behind the clouds,

When you get the blues in the night
When one feels sad and lonely at night.

Take my word, the mockin' bird'll
Believe me, the mockingbird will

Sing the saddest kind o' song
Sing the saddest song

He knows things are wrong and he's right
The bird knows when things are wrong, and it is correct.

From Natchez to Mobile,
From Natchez to Mobile, Alabama,

From Memphis to St. Jo,
From Memphis to St. Joseph, Missouri,

Wherever the four winds blow,
In any place the winds blow,

I been in some big towns,
I have been in some large cities,

An' heard me some big talk,
And heard some grandiose speeches,

But there is one thing I know
But one thing is certain,

A woman's a two face,
Women can be deceptive and cruel,

A worrisome thing
This can be concerning,

Who'll leave ya t'sing the blues in the night.
Which can make you feel sad and lonely at night.

My mama was right,
My mother was correct,

There's blues in the night.
The night can be a time of sadness and loneliness.