Low down dealin's in Memphis
A card game in a back room
I was lookin' at my last dollar
Hopin' lady luck would come by soon

I played out on the east side
Till I heard my reputation was in doubt
It was starting to look like a bad ride
It looked like time for gettin' out

They raised the betting limit
The cards were falling fast
I bet away my future,
I already lost my past

Now I can't go back to Memphis
I played out every game
I can't go back to Memphis
Everybody knows my name
Too many people wanna even out the score
And I can't go back to Memphis no more

I did my best to beat the system
But the system put me back in my palace
They maintained a delicate balance
Where no one got in nobody's face
I was tryin' to make a dollar
Just survivin' in the street
I fought the gangs, I fought the law
But they both had me beat

Now I can't go back to Memphis
I played out every game
I can't go back to Memphis
Everybody knows my name
Too many people wanna even out the score
And I can't go back to Memphis no more

I can't go back to Memphis
I can't go back to Memphis

No, no, I can't go back to Memphis
No, no, no, no I can't go back to Memphis
No, no, no, no
Too many people wanna even out the score
And I can't go back to Memphis no more