[Verse 1]
(You'll never know) You'll never know
(What heaven means) What heaven means
Until you've been down to New Orleans (New Orleans)
You ain't been livin' till you cuddle and coo
With a black-eyed baby by the old bayou

[Verse 2]
(You've never seen) You've never seen
(Kewpie doll queens) You've never seen those kewpie doll queens
Like they got them in New Orleans (New Orleans)
And, ooh, they love you like no one can
It makes you awful glad that you were born a man

[Verse 3]
If-if-if you ain't been there (Been there)
Then you ain't been nowhere (Nowhere)
The living’s lazy, and the loving’s fine (It's so fine)
If you feel low down (Low down)
So help me, Hannah (Hannah)
You should lose the blues in Louisi-ouisi-ouisiana

[Verse 4]
(So get the lead) Get your lead
(Out of your jeans) Get your lead out of your jeans
And hot foot it down, hot foot down to where?
New Orleans (New Orleans)
Louisiana baby tells you stay awhile (Yeah)
Live it up (Yeah), love it up (Yeah), southern style
Way down in New (Down in New)
New Orleans