Get the Ricochet app
Ricochet will work fine in a browser on your mobile devices, but for the best experience please download our app.
This is a song that never gets old for me. Although I don’t believe I have ever seen Melissa Praemonitus wearing a black dress, I think of her whenever I hear this song, as she’s about the longest, coolest woman I know.
There are a few lines in this song that I never have been able to decipher, so I looked up the lyrics. I’ll share them in case any of you have also wondered what that third line is. Or the fifth line, or whatever.
Lyrics:
Saturday night I was downtown
Working for the FBI
Sittin' in a nest of bad men
Whiskey bottles piling high
Bootlegging boozer on the west side
Full of people who are doing wrong
Just about to call up the DA man
When I heard this woman sing a song
A pair of 45's made me open my eyes
My temperature started to rise
She was a long cool woman in a black dress
Just-a 5'9, beautiful, tall
With just one look I was a bad mess
'Cause that long cool woman had it all
[Instrumental Interlude]
I saw her heading to the table
Like a tall walking big black cat
When Charlie said I hope that you're able boy
'Cause I'm telling you she knows where it's at
Then suddenly we heard the sirens
And everybody started to run
A-jumping out of doors and tables
When I heard somebody shootin' a gun
Well the DA was pumping my left hand
And a-she was a-holding my right
Well I told her don't get scared
'Cause you're gonna be spared
I've gotta be forgivin' if I wanna spend my living
With a long cool woman in a black dress
Just a 5'9 beautiful tall
Yeah, with just one look I was a bad mess
'Cause that long cool woman had it all
Had it all
Had it all
Discussion (33)
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
I'll bring a dress for the next meetup, but I apologize ahead of time for the lyrics inevitably shifting in your mind to "Long old lady in a black dress," lol.
CONTRIBUTOR • CHARTER MEMBER
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
Great post, Randy! And if anything, I gather that Melissa is even three or four inches taller than the girl in the song.
CHARTER MEMBER
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
I've heard that song probably hundreds of times, and I could never make out half the lyrics. I looked them up a while back so I could finally know what they were.
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
Good one! Always enjoyed it.
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
Dig it!
I wonder how many people thought it was Creedence the first time they heard it.
You're seeing five of 33 comments. Sign in, or join for just $5 per month, to read them all and add your own.