I hate to see de evenin' sun go down.
Hate to see de evenin' sun go down,
Cause my baby, he done lef dis town.

Feelin' tomorrow lak Ah feel today.
Feel tomorrow lak Ah feel today,
I'll pack my trunk, make ma get away.

St. Louis woman wid her diamon' rings
Pulls dat man roun' by her apron strings.
'Twant for powder an' for store bought hair
De man I love would not gone nowhere.

CHORUS:
Got de St. Louis Blues jes as blue as Ali can be
Dat man got a heart lak a rock cast in the sea-
Or else be wouldn't have gone so far from me.
    Doggone it!

I loves dat man lak a school boy loves his pie
Lak a Kentucky Col'nel loves his mint an' rye-
I'll love ma baby till the day Ah die.  Doggone it!

A black headed gal make a freight train jump
    the track-
Said a black headed gal make a freight train
    jump the track-
But a long tall gal makes a preacher ball the
    Jack.  Doggone it!
Lawd a blonde 'headed woman makes a good
    man leave the town
I said blonde headed woman makes a good man
    leave the town-
But a red bead woman makes a boy slap his
    papa down.  Doggone it!

Oh, ashes to ashes and dust to dust
I said ashes to ashes and dust to dust-
If my blues don't get you my jazzing must.'
Doggone it!

Been to de Gypsy to get ma fortune tole.
To de Gypsy done got ma fortune tole,
'Cause I'm most wile 'bout ma jelly Roll.

Cypsy done tole me "don't you wear no black"
Yes she done tole me "don't you wear no black"
Co to St. Louis, you can win him back

Help me to Cairo make St. Louis by maself
Get to Cairo find ma ole friend Jeff,
Gwine to pin ma self close to his side
If ah flag his train I sho' can ride.

You ought to see dat stovepipe brown of mine
Lak he owns de Dimon Joseph line.
He'd make a cross eyed o' man go stone blind.

Blacker than midnight, teeth lak flags of truce
Blackest man in de whole Louis
Blacker de berry sweeter is the juice.

About a crap game he knows a pow'ful lot
But when work-time comes he's on de dot
Cwine to ask him for a cold ten spot
What it takes to get it he's cert'nly got.
 
 

1)Of the five choruses, only the first two are usually sung.  Bessie Smith sang the song as follows:

I hate to see that evening sun go down
I bate to see that evening sun go down.
Makes me think I'm on my last go round.

Feeling tomorrow like I feel today
Feeling tomorrow like I feel today,
I'm gonna pack my grip, and make my geta@k-av

St. Louis woman with her diamond rings
Pulls my man around by her apron strings,
'Twant for powder and store bought bair
The man I love wouldn't go nowhere.

I've got the St. Louis Blues just as blue as I can be
He's got a heart like a stone cast in the sea
Else he wouldn't have gone so far from me.