Joe Ely Standin' At The Big Hotel
I was standin' at a big hotel
Wishin' everybody well
But if anybody paid me, any mind it was hard to tell
A big policeman on his beat
Pulled his pistol and he pointed at me
Lookin' down the barrel I could see the gates of hell
Standin' at a big hotel
So I went walkin' down the avenue
Lookin' for someone who looked like you
But I never saw a face that seemed to ring a bell
I stopped beside the five and dime
Just window shoppin' and wastin' time
When along came a gal who sold me all she had to sell
She left me standin' at a big hotel
I lost my mind in the wilds of Hollywood
And I did some time in the shadows where I stood
I let the cards fall where they fell
And then I found myself standin' at a big hotel
A blind lady with a old tin cup
Had her pencils all sharpened up
She was standin' in the door just to see what she could sell
But nobody bought a thing all night
They just thought she was a pitiful sight
Now the Lord helps the gal who helps herself
Standin' at a big hotel
Oh, but I know what you're thinkin' today
I can feel it though I'm miles away
Everybody knows I love my southern belle
But from the east to the wild, wild west
They say a bird in the hand is best
Here I am with a bird dog and a bottle of muscatel
Standin' at a big hotel
I lost my mind in the wilds of Hollywood
And then I did some time in the shadows where I stood
I let the cards fall where they fell
And then I found myself standin' at a big hotel
Yeah, I found myself standin' at a big hotel
