Carpetbaggers

Album: Acid Tongue (2008)
Play Video
  • They come to town when the war is over
    Dirty boots in the middle of the night
    Trolling the bars, hitting on the soldiers
    Boys give it up without a fight
    They say, ?Hey, boy, how about your place?
    I know you really want to take me home?
    Drop the bags off on the bedroom floor
    They make love with the lights on, saying

    ?I?m a carpetbagger, baby
    I?m coming to your town
    I?m going to treat you kind (woo-hoo)
    I?m going to rob you blind (woo-hoo)
    I?ll smile all the time
    Whoa, yeah
    Whoa, yeah
    Whoa, yeah

    Sally could have had any one of the boys
    But she couldn?t love no one she could not control
    Friend of mine and her got married
    I don?t hear too much from them anymore
    Last I heard, he had a rope around his neck
    Dragging around the grocery store
    Carrying her bags and pushing down the aisles
    Saying, ?I ain?t got no home in this world anymore?

    ?I?m a carpetbagger, baby
    I?m coming to your town
    I?m going to treat you kind (woo-hoo)
    I?m going to rob you blind (woo-hoo)
    I?ll smile all the time
    Whoa, yeah
    Whoa, yeah
    Whoa, yeah

    They come to town when the party?s over
    Books been written and truths been tried
    They?ll take it all if the door?s left open
    Steal the nose right from under your eyes

    Singing, ?I?m a carpetbagger, baby
    I?m coming to your town
    I?m going to treat you kind (woo-hoo)
    I?m going to rob you blind (woo-hoo)
    I?ll smile all the time
    Whoa, yeah
    Whoa, yeah
    Whoa, yeah
    Whoa, yeah Writer/s: Johnathan Rice
    Publisher: CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

  • Jon from Tower, MnI think Costello adds a lot of energy to the song. Compare versions on Youtube with and without him.
  • Theresa from Murfreesboro, TnCostello's voice is horrible in this song, thank heaven Jenny can carry a tune!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Joan Armatrading

Joan ArmatradingSongwriter Interviews

The revered singer-songwriter talks inspiration and explains why she put a mahout in "Drop the Pilot."

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Is That Song Public Domain?

Is That Song Public Domain?Fact or Fiction

Are classic songs like "Over The Rainbow" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the public domain?

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.