Ballad of Lou the Welterweight

Powder your nose, pull off your pantyhose
Let me love you from behind, my Darling
Powder your nose, pull on your pantyhose
We’re going down to my bout, my Darling
Before the bell would ring he had a way like Errol Flynn
As he sauntered to the ring with a sheet on
But the late rounds scared the girl, Heaven knows she thought the world of Lou
It was hard to see him swaying in the neon
Joey was a no-one, just some big dumb kid from Flushing
He had a face like an ugly bull, always pouting
He hit Louie kind of low, and he fumbled on the ropes
As the bookies blocked the rows, shouting

Powder your nose, pull off your pantyhose
Let me love you from behind, my Darling
Powder your nose, pull on your pantyhose
We’re going down to my bout, my Darling

The blows were hard and loud, he could hardly hear the crowd
In the bleachers where they howled, they were cheering
I remember in the eighth, it was clear that Lou was fading
When something caught his eye by the ceiling
He saw her as she spoke through the shifty yellow smoke
She said, “Louie, you look bad, are you dying?”
But Louie could not answer, his eyes were cast up to the rafters
And then they slowly sealed in silence

Powder your nose, pull off your pantyhose
Let me love you from behind, my Darling
Powder your nose, pull on your pantyhose
We’re going down to my bout, my Darling