[Verse 1] Met you at the dance hall In my shiny Sunday shoes You had a red-lip smile And a pack of bad news We spun past midnight In the checkerboard floor glow Now my bones feel funny And I gotta tell you so [Pre-Chorus] Doc said, “Son, sit down” With a look I won’t forget He wrote me a little note That I still can’t pay off yet [Chorus] Checkerboard blues, checkerboard blues Now I’m singing these checkerboard blues Checkerboard blues, checkerboard blues You left me with a lousy clue Oh baby, what’d you do? (what’d you do?) [Verse 2] Mama saw me limping Said, “Boy, what’s gone wrong?” I tried to keep it simple But the truth came out in song Got a pill and a warning And a stare from the nurse Said, “Next time watch your heart, son” And maybe count it worse [Pre-Chorus] Now I’m skipping soda pop And I’m skipping my proud grin If you’re gonna hold me close You better know where I’ve been [Chorus] Checkerboard blues, checkerboard blues Now I’m singing these checkerboard blues Checkerboard blues, checkerboard blues You left me with a lousy clue Oh baby, what’d you do? (what’d you do?) [Bridge] I was cool in the glow Now I’m humble in the light Learned the hard way, darling Love can hitch a mean old bite So keep your sweet talk neat And your promises true I got a lesson in my pocket And a warning pointin’ through [Chorus] Checkerboard blues, checkerboard blues Now I’m singing these checkerboard blues Checkerboard blues, checkerboard blues You left me with a lousy clue Oh baby, what’d you do? (what’d you do?)
