Delta Dancer — A joyful adult woman dances beside a turquoise Delta river while a guitarist plays between magnolias, cotton fields and Central Valley canals

Delta Dancer

The songbook

Words by Douglas Heyes Jr. Listen to the recorded versions and follow the lyric below.

Original Doug Heyes lyrics · AI-generated music & vocals

I brought a guitar down to the river and found the whole evening already moving. Lanterns, food, firelight, neighbors who knew how to make a night last. She was dancing in the middle of it like the water had taught her how. By the time the stars came out, I wasn't in any hurry to go home.

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Recorded versions

3 recordings. Different voices and arrangements bring another side of the song into the light.

Lyrics

Delta Dancer

Words by Douglas Heyes Jr

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DELTA DANCER

She was Dancin' by the Riverside
Singin' Amazing Grace
Dancin' in her Blue Suede Shoes
With a Smile upon her Face
Singin' Mississippi Delta Blues
I picked up a guitar
And I started to lay down a beat
Underneath the Moon and Stars

Jambalaya and a-Crawfish pie
Servin' up in the Street
Creedence on the Amplifiers
Where the People beat their feet
Smokestacks, Packrats
The World's a Wheel that's Turnin'
Southern-Fried Chicken and Apple Pie
Mama's in the Kitchen, She's a bit too High
Daddy's cookin' up another Alibi
Moonshine after Midnight till the Well runs Dry

And we're Dancin' by the Riverside
A lotta Romancin', in the air Tonight
Paper Lanterns and th' Firelight
She's a Delta Dancer, got me Feelin' right
A lot of Hoodoo and a- Voodoo
What she gonna do to you
Tiny Delta Dancer, gonna Dance all Night
We're all lit up and we're flyin' outta sight

Look across the Bonfire
There's another Girl right there
Barefoot, wearin' Calico
With Yellow Ribbons in her Hair
She's been lookin' up at you
Maybe you were not aware
Maybe time for you to Cross that Line
And get the Hell on over there

Delta Dancer
There's a Party goin' on
The Boys came down from the Neighborhood
For an All-Night Delta Dawn
Southern Home Cookin' and Zydeco
We'll be dancing till the Rooster Crows
When it stops or when it goes
Only the Delta Dancer knows

OUTRO:

We're Dancin' by the Riverside
In the Bayou after Midnight
Delta Dancer, come Outside
Cajun Girl gonna take you for a Ride

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© Douglas Heyes Jr. All rights reserved.