Joni Mitchell - The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines lyrics

Words by joni mitchell Music by charles mingus I'm down to a roll of dimes I'm stalking the slot that's hot I keep hearing bells all around me Jingling in the lucky jackpots They keep you tantalized They keep you reaching for your wallet Here in fools' paradise! I talked to a cat from des moines He said he ran a cleaning plant That cat was clanking with coin Well, he must have had a genie in a lamp 'cause every time--i dropped a dime--i blew it He kept ringing bells Nothing to it! He got three oranges Three lemons Three cherries Three plums I'm losing my taste for fruit Watching the dry cleaner do it Like midas in a polyester suit It's all luck! It's just luck! You get a little lucky and you make a little money! I followed him down the strip He picked out a booth at circus circus Where the cowgirls fill the room With their big balloons The cleaner was pitching with purpose! He had dinos and pooh bears And lions--pink and blue there He couldn't lose there! Des moines was stacking the chips Raking off the tables Ringing the bandit's bells This is a story that's a drag to tell (in some ways) Since i lost every dime I laid on the line But the cleaner from des moines Could put a coin In the door of a john And get twenty for one It's just luck!