Well on a greyhound bound for Shreveport I've been too long in my seat
Well, I stopped off in a no-name town to grab a bite to eat
And the ceiling fans, they hummed above a screened-in patio
Crawfish hotter than a chimney fire, the beer was cheap and cold
And the bar maid smiled that kind
Of smile that knocked me off my stool
Said, "Hang around, I'll show you things they don't teach in school"
Across the way an old blues man was playin' on the street
He moaned just like a Black and Tan, I found myself a seat
He sang "Lord he lives above us and the Devil sleeps beneath"
Well, he growled it mean and low between his three or four gold teeth
And I wished I was in Shreveport just a-gamblin' like a fool
Well you can learn some things down there they don't teach in school
Well I dreamed that night of a pretty girl, I dreamed of a riverboat
'Til a man in blue kicked at my shoe, said "Come on, boy, let's go"
I said "Oh Officer, oh Officer please don't take me to jail"
He said "You can't sleep outside,
Now my hands are tied, I knew that feelin' all too well"
"And if you play in my town, son, you'll play it by the rules"
That downtown night shed light on sights that you won't see in school
Out of jail I found myself a-walkin' down the road
So glad to hear that old jake-brake come purrin' nice and slow
He said "I'm goin' as far as
Fayetteville, I've got some room to spare"
And he balled the jack on that big
Black Mack, kickin' back I played it cool
From a shotgun seat I learned some
Things that they don't teach in school
And I wished I was in Shreveport just a-gamblin' like a fool
Well you can learn some things down there they don't teach in school
Well I said,
You can learn some things down there they don't teach in school