Oh the day was so hot On st. anthony street That I slept on my cot Without even a sheet When I crept to the door And I cracked it a peek In the weather did pour Like a pipe sprung a leak So I slipped on my kicks And the dress with the scoop And I did up my lips And stepped out on the stoop Where the light was so lush And the air was so sweet I fell into a hush In the feverish heat Oh, summer in New Orleans So sudden and stranger than a Fever dream So I walk to the west On the cobbles and bricks Mockingbird in a nest Talks in cackles and clicks Tall magnolia trees When I turn to the south Press their bliss to the breeze Like a kiss to the mouth So I sat on a stump Til there passed a parade Where the drummers all thumped And the trumpets all played But a thundercloud breaks With a rumble and crack And the streets turn to lakes And the people turn back Oh, summer in new orleans So sudden and stranger than a Fever dream Now I sit on the deck With the rain on the roof And the dog is a wreck And the cat is aloof And the city don't sleep But she crawls into bed With a grin in her teeth And a song in her head