Once a week he’d come into the nightclub
And he’d walk across the dance floor to a table just for two
You could see that he was lonelier than lonely
And he could write a book on feelin' blue
Well he’d order up a single for his baby
Then order up a double just for him
Well, he drank a lot, but he paid real good for love songs
And that band just called him Twenty Dollar Jim
About five years ago he lost his baby
Never said just why or where she went
But the way he mixed his whiskey with his memories
And left him with his mind about half-bent
The band could see him goin' through the motions
A-talkin' to someone who’d gone away
With eyes so sad and his voice choked with emotion
He’d stagger to the bandstand and he’d say:
"Singer, won’t you sing me 'Back to Baby'?
Help me make it through this crazy world of mine.
Here’s a twenty for a love song for my baby.
Singer, won’t you sing me 'Back to Baby' one more time?"
Well. today I saw his picture in the paper
And the story read he drank himself to death
But the story never mentioned his baby
Of how he spoke her name with every breath
In the name of love I bought some pretty flowers
And I took them down and left them there with him
And it made me sad to think he’s gone forever
When I said goodbye to Twenty Dollar Jim
He said: "Singer, won’t you sing me 'Back to Baby'?
Help me make it through this crazy world of mine.
Here’s a twenty for a love song for my baby.
Singer, won’t you sing me 'Back to Baby' one more time?"