I was born in Chicago 19 and 51 I was born in Chicago 19 and 51 Yeah, my poppa told me Son you had better get it done My first friend went down When he was seventeen years of age Yeah, my first friend went down When he was seventeen years of age I've got one thing to say about that boy He died brave Now my second friend went down When he was twenty-one years old Yeah, my second friend went down When he was twenty-one years old I've got one thing to say about that boy He died bold Now the blues are alright If there's someone left to play the game Yeah, the blues are alright If there's someone left to play the game All my friends are gone It just don't seem the same Things aren't the same, baby