[Verse 1]
You can never tell what's in a man's mind
And if he's from Harlem, there's no use of even tryin'
Just like the tide, his mind comes and goes
Like March weather, when he'll change
Nobody knows, nobody knows

[Verse 2]
The man I love, well, he just turned me down
He's a Harlem brown
Oftentimes I wish that I were in this ground
Six feet underground
He idolized me as no other could, Lord
Then he surprised me, leaving me a note sayin' he's gone for good

[Chorus 1]
And since my sweetie left me, Harlem
Well, it ain't the same old place
Though a thousand dandies smile right in my face
I think I'll mooch some homemade hooch and go out for a lark
Just to drive off these mean old Harlem blues

[Verse 3]
You can have your Broadway, give me Lenox Avenue
Angels from the skies stroll 7th and for that, thanks are due
From Madam Walker's beauty shops to the Pro-Ro System 2
Then made those girls angels without any doubt
[Chorus 2]
There are some spots up in Harlem
Where I'm told it's sudden death
To let somebody see you, even start to catch your breath
If you've never been to Harlem, then I guess you'll never know
The power of these mean ol' Harlem blues

[Bridge]
Ah, there's one sweet spot in Harlem known as Striver's Row
'Ditty folks, some call them, there's one thing you should know
It's that I have a friend who lives there, I know he won't refuse
To put some music to my troubles and call them Harlem blues
To put some music to my troubles and call 'em the Harlem blues

[Outro]
Harlem, the Harlem blues
Harlem, the Harlem blues
Harlem