lonely child, frozen north
where the great Niagara flows
winter nights would get so cold
had me sleeping in my clothes
but the starlight glow of the vacuum tubes
revealed a world unseen
at five below, on the radio
I heard the drums, from New Orleans
bakelite grill, plastic knobs
antenna was a piece of wire
but it pulled in sounds from out of the dark
that set my soul on fire
I never heard nothing like them saxophones
pianos and tambourines
on houndog’s show, on the radio
I heard the drums from New Orleans
50 thousand watts of power, floatin' out over through
the air
headin' to my bedroom, an answer to my prayers
what came out of that six inch box
blew my brain, to smithereens
12 years old, on the radio,
I heard the drums, from New Orleans
the drums, from New Orleans
lonely man, an icy room
the night begins to crawl
I lay awake and wrestle,
with the voices coming through the wall
to keep from going, out of my mind
and save me from my dreams
I search the dial, all night long
for the drums from New Orleans
the drums from New Orleans