Go out yonder, peace in the valley:
Come down town, have a rumble in the alley.
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in.
Has anybody seen my lady,
'Cause livin' alone will drive you crazy:
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in.
I'm gonna go down to the river,
But I ain't gonna jump in, no, no.
I'll just be lookin' for my baby,
'Cause I hear that that's where she's been.
Out of nine lives, I've spent seven.
How in the world do I get to Heaven?
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in.
Aw, here it comes!
I just spent sixty days in the jailhouse,
For the crime of havin' no dough, no.
Now here I am, back on the streets,
For the crime of havin' nowhere to go.
Save your neck, save your brother.
Looks like it's one or the other:
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in.
No, no, no.
Ooh, Lord, uh huh, I think I'm goin' down by the river.
But I ain't gonna jump in, no, no.
I'll just be lookin' for my baby,
'Cause I hear that that's where she's been.
Out of nine lives, I've spent seven.
How in the world do I get to Heaven?
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in.
Oh, I said: "Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in."