| C C7 | F | C7 F |

[Verse 1]
C7 G7             C
    (You'll never know) You'll never know.
             C7
(What heaven means) What heaven means.
             F7
Until you've been down to New Orleans, (New Orleans).
    G7
You ain't been living' till you cuddle and coo (oo).
  C        N.C.
O'with the black-eyed baby by the old bayou.

[Verse 2]
              C
(You've never seen) you've never seen.
            C7
(Cupid doll queens) You've never seen those Cupid doll queens.
                  F7
Like they got them,  in New Orleans (New Orleans).
    G7
Ah, ooh, ooh, they love you like, no-one can (ah).
   C               N.C.
It makes you awful glad, that you were born a man.

[Verse 3]
                   F           F7
If-if-if you ain't been there (been there).
F7
Then you ain't been nowhere (nowhere).
    C
The living’s lazy and the loving’s fine (it'so fine).
            G
If you feel low down (low down).
           D
So help me Hannah (Hannah).
N.C. G      N.C.
 You should lose the blues in Loui-si-ouisi-ouisi-ana.

[Verse 4]
            C
(So get the lead) Get the lead.
             C7
(Out of your jeans) Get the lead out of your chase.
                                        F7
And I'd put it down, I'd put it down ah where?
   F7
in New Orleans (New Orleans).
  G7
A Louisiana baby tells you, stay awhile (yeah).
F7                 D7                 G7        C
Live it up (yeah), love it up (yeah), southern style.

[Outro]
            D7                G       C       C7
Way down in New, (down in New)..New Orleans...