Joe Ely – Standin' At The Big Hotel lyrics

(Butch Hancock)

I was standin at a big hotel
Wishin everybody well
But if anybody paid me any mind it was hard to tell
A big policeman on his beat
Pulled his pistol and he pointed at me
Lookin down the barrel I could see the gates of hell
I was Standin' At A Big Hotel

So I went walkin down the avenue
Lookin for someone who looked like you
But I never saw a face that seemed to ring a bell
So I stopped beside the five and dime
Just window-shoppin and wastin time
When along came a gal who sold me all she had to sell
She left me Standin' At A Big Hotel
I lost my mind in the wilds of Hollywood
I did some time in the shadows where I stood
I let the cards fall where they fell...
And I found myself Standin' At A Big Hotel

A blind lady with a big tin cup
Had her pencils all sharpened up
She was standin in the door just to see what she could sell
But nobody bought a thing all night
They thought she was a pitiful sight
Lord help the gal who helps herself
Standin' At A Big Hotel

Long gone are horse n buggy days
Big limousines are here to stay
And when they see you to the door
They want something for their help
But I saw somebody make a little slip
He only left the kid a ten cent tip
You shoulda heard what I heard when I heard that bell boy yell...
Standin' At A Big Hotel

Lord Lord what's the matter with me
To pay so much for the song I sing
When all I was doin was singin it to myself
Like standin in a stagnant stream
With nothin in the world left to dream
I was dyin at the bottom of a dried up wishin well
I was Standin' At A Big Hotel

Well I know what you're thinkin today
I can feel it though I'm miles away
Everybody knows I love my southern belle
But from the east to the wild wild west
They say a bird in the hand is best
So here I am with a bird dog and a bottle of muscatel
Standin' At A Big Hotel