Marie Laveau

Album: Lullabys, Legends And Lies (1973)
Play Video
  • The most famous of the voodoo queens that ever existed
    Is Marie Laveau, down in Louisiana
    There's a lot of weird ungodly tales about Marie
    She's supposed to have a lot of magic potions, spells and curses

    Down in Louisiana, where the black trees grow
    Lives a voodoo lady named Marie Laveau
    She got a black cat's tooth and a Mojo bone
    And anyone who wouldn't leave her alone
    She'd go-, another man done gone
    She lives in a swamp in a hollow log
    With a one-eyed snake and a three-legged dog
    She's got a bent, bony body and stringy hair
    And if she ever seen why y'all messing 'round there
    She'd go-, another man done gone

    And then one night when the moon was black
    Into the swamp come handsome Jack
    A no good man like you all know
    He was looking around for Marie Laveau
    He said, "Marie Laveau, you handsome witch
    Give me a little a little charm that'll make me rich
    Give me a million dollars and I tell you what I'll do
    This very night, I'm gonna marry you"
    Then it'll be, hmm, another man done gone

    So Marie done some magic, and she shook a little sand
    Made a million dollars and she put it in his hand
    Then she giggled and she wiggled, and she said, "Hey, Hey
    I'm getting ready for my wedding day"
    But old handsome Jack, he said, "Goodbye Marie
    You're too damned ugly for a rich man like me"
    Then Marie started mumbling, her fangs started gnashing
    Her body started trembling and her eyes started flashing
    And she went-, another man done gone

    Oh, if you ever get down where the black trees grow
    And meet a voodoo lady named Marie Laveau
    If she ever asks you to make her your wife
    Man, you better stay with her for the rest of your life

    Or it'll be-, another man done gone Writer/s: Baxter Taylor, Shel Silverstein
    Publisher: T.R.O. INC.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • George from Vancouver, Canada@Tonya from Sharon Grove, Ky :: Mrs? So she finally found a man to give up his outside(of the swamp) life & marry her? Or you're just using "Mrs." as an honorific?
  • George from Vancouver, CanadaShel Silverstein was a true poety -- he had meter & rhyming all working to gether to make anything a catchy song for whomever put it to music. Was listening to 1970s county & this song came on -- catchy & interesting lyrics, so I came here, as usuasl, too look st the background -- was not disapointed. Richard Pryor was speaking of the same Voodoo woman, in one of his routines, I suspect. . .
  • Tonya from Sharon Grove, KyI love this song so much. It makes me kind of sad because this woman was actually real. But my momma says that i could have been a decendant of Mrs. Marie Lavaeu.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.