I tol' some friends you came from Gary
'tho your home was Naptown
last time I saw you was in New York City
leavin' 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 feelin'
still, I held back the tears
I started thinkin' 'bout you up in Milwaukee
it was rainin' when we reached Chicago
but the tears didn't start rollin' 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
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 smokin' cigarettes
an' buy a good-lookin' car
ya used to sing about your dreams comin' true
we thought you'd go so far
I started thinkin' 'bout you up in Milwaukee
it was rainin' when we reached Chicago
but the tears didn't start rollin' down my cheeks
'til we rolled into Kokomo - Kokomo
first time you came overseas
you was only seventeen
playin' the blues in Yank Rachell's band
you was happy to be heard and seen -
hungry and lean
next time around you was on your own
makin' 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 thinkin' 'bout you up in Milwaukee
it was rainin' when we reached Chicago
but the tears didn't start rollin' down my cheeks
'til we rolled into Kokomo - Kokomo