Back In Baltimore

Down from the Alleghenies
And up out of the mines
No work in the steel mills
So I hopped an eastbound line
Couldn’t have imagined
All that lie in store
Back in Baltimore
Back in Baltimore

Wound up at the harbor
As the tide rolled in
Watched the big ships drop their cargo
And sail on out again
Tried to make my living
As a stevedore
Back in Baltimore
Back in Baltimore

The Patapsco, the Patuxent
And the mighty Magothy
Surrender to the Chesapeake
And she becomes the sea
Wish I’d of had the courage
To shove off from the shore
Back in Baltimore
Back in Baltimore

My thirst for adventure
Led me beyond the docks
At night I’d find myself
Walking up and down
The Block Lured by the liquor
To the hustlers and the whores
Back in Baltimore
Back in Baltimore

Mama, I’m not guilty
I didn’t harm those men
I know just who it was
Sent me up to Hazelton
If they ever let me outta here
I’ll even up the score
Back in Baltimore
Back in Baltimore