Ragtime Pawn Shop

[Verse 1] Down on Royal Street, the shutter’s half awake Pawn shop bell rings once, then the floorboards shake First man in the doorway, eyes on that silver gleam He lifts a cornet slowly like a pocket of steam He blows one crooked note Then grins and nods his head “Yeah, that’ll preach outside” He lays the coins and pays [Chorus] Jazz pawn shop, New Orleans Take that brass and set it free Jazz pawn shop, New Orleans Make the hard-times sing for me (Jazz pawn shop) (Jazz pawn shop) [Verse 2] Next comes a trombone, long as a train car sigh He tries a bent blue slide and lets it cry The dealer taps the wood, says “That one’s got pain” He pays in worn-out notes and walks into the rain He drags a note around the corner Turns sorrow into heat Then out the door he goes Like a second-line heartbeat [Chorus] [Chorus] Jazz pawn shop, New Orleans Take that brass and set it free Jazz pawn shop, New Orleans Make the hard-times sing for me (Jazz pawn shop) (Jazz pawn shop) [Verse 3] A clarinet comes next, all dark and slim He checks the little keys, then lights up with a whim He tests a fast sweet run, makes the back wall hum The shopman smiles and says, “Boy, what a sound” He tucks it under his arm And slips out by the screen Now the alley starts to grin Like it knows what that means [Pre-Chorus] One by one, they come One by one, they learn Rigid as a marching line Till the bent notes start to burn [Chorus] Jazz pawn shop, New Orleans Take that brass and set it free Jazz pawn shop, New Orleans Make the hard-times sing for me (Jazz pawn shop) (Jazz pawn shop) [Bridge] Outside on the corner, strangers turn and stare Dixieland snaps like summer, sound climbs into air The cornet calls the road, the trombone pulls it wide The clarinet is dancing on the edge of the tide. Now the old stone buildings keep the echo in their bones Every window, every archway, answers back in tones [Final Chorus] Jazz pawn shop, New Orleans Take that brass and set it free Jazz pawn shop, New Orleans Make the hard-times sing for me (Jazz pawn shop) (Jazz pawn shop) [Outro] They roll down the block And the night leans in Ragtime sets the tone Rising from within And the city holds the tune As they vanish from the scene Jazz pawn shop, New Orleans A history where they’ve been