Invitations to my party, send Jones an inviting card
He got his mean stream from the gutter
Got his kindness from God

Now, tugboats paint the river
Carry coal to the city in white dock liners
Happiness on the uptown side
At my party in the morning tide
Oh, la, la, la, blackpatch
Oh, la, la, la, blackpatch
Oh, la, la, la, blackpatch
In blackpatch, in blackpatch

Clothes spins on wash ropes, window to window tie
Socks and bells and nightgowns
Tassels in the morning, tassels in the morning sky

People are you ready? 
Ready, ready?
Ready, ready?
Are you ready, are you ready?

Womanchild on the side street, flashing in blackpath
Lipstick on her reefer, waiting for a match