It was forty or fifty years ago A big shot played with time Mister Walker held the door And both kept Cord and line Watched and checked on every single day Building his own special cars His very special way Ooh! The new soft shoe Ooh! The new soft shoe And then walking through a southern road I saw a shoeshine stand A man was talking to a crowd Holding slippers in his hands Don't you know the same thing happens Each and every day? Did you ever hear a song That's hard to even play? Ooh! The new soft shoe Ooh! The new soft shoe Then a color TV broadcast Snuck from New Orleans Showed me one more man who spoke and wore bright blue and green When you saw him talk his way Was when he showed his claws And spoke to people every day Just to get applause Ooh! The new soft shoe Ooh! The new soft shoe .....