Kokomo

(album: Stories - 2002)

I tol' some friends you came from Gary
'Tho your home was in Naptown
The last time I saw you was in New York City
Leaving on a Greyhound homeward bound

I gave you what I had in my pocket
Enough for candy bars an' beer
Didn't I wave goodbye with a low-down feeling
Still, I held back the tears

I started thinking 'bout you up in Milwaukee
It was raining when we reached Chicago
But the tears didn't start rolling down my cheeks
'Til we rolled into Kokomo Kokomo

No one I know who ever met you
Could resist the way you sang an' played
And none of us will ever forget you
We all just wish you'd've stayed
To share the music you made

Ya tol' me you was gonna stop smoking cigarettes
An' buy a good-looking car
Ya used to sing about your dreams dreams coming true
We thought you'd go so far

I started thinking 'bout you up in Milwaukee
It was raining when we reached Chicago
But the tears didn't start rolling down my cheeks
'Til we rolled into Kokomo Kokomo

You know the first time you came overseas
You was only seventeen
Playing the blues in Yank Rachell's band
You was happy to be heard and seen
Hungry and lean

The next time around you was on your own
Making a name for yourself
Now all that's left is the love in our hearts
An' some reel-to-reel tapes on my shelf

I started thinking 'bout you up in Milwaukee
It was raining when we reached Chicago
But the tears didn't start rolling down my cheeks
'Til we rolled into Kokomo Kokomo