2nd Place | July/August 2009 Lyric Contest
“Rita Sings the Blues”
Written by Gordon Hutchison
Cary, North Carolina
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“Rita Sings the Blues”
She’ll sing you a song–string you along
The entire night through
She’ll nail you to your seat, seduce you with the beat
It’s what she was put on earth to do
She’ll wiggle a hip–maybe show you some slip
And then she’ll really cut loose
‘Cause folks on the block know the joint’s gonna rock
When Rita sings the blues

You’ll find Rita down at the Hickory Lounge
Out at Bleecker and White
It’s not the kind of place you’d want to show your face
On just any old night
You try and jive and they’ll eat you alive
We’re talking ‘bout some dangerous dudes
But there won’t be no brawls till after the last curtain call
When Rita sings the blues

Now you’ll find her in the morning passed out on the bed
Empty whiskey bottles rattling round her head
Her mouth could make a sailor blush, tattoos underneath her blouse
But she’s back up there night after night just bringing down the house

When the lights are down low and she’s taking it slow
Billie Holiday style
Making love to the mic, sucking on a Lucky Strike
Then breaking into “God Bless the Child”
That white sequin dress is under duress
‘Cause the lady, hey, she still got the moves
The old bump and grind, good Lord ain’t it fine
When Rita sings the blues

Now Rita’s been around the track with every man in town
Got a twenty in his wallet to lay a bar tab down
The whole town’s heard the stories, they know the lady’s hot
But the stage is the one and only place she’s giving all she’s got

Now the ashtrays are packed and you know for a fact
The waitress is dead on her feet
The band’s lost count how many sets, and Rita she’s just oozing sweat
Belting it out like she was in heat
It’s quarter to four and they’re screaming for more
You can hear ‘em out to Kalamazoo
So grab a Bud, lose that sweater, ‘cause it don’t get no better
Than when Rita sings the blues