C                        Dm         
I had to go back to that house one more time,  
G                                C   
to see if the camellias were in bloom.  

For so many reasons its been on my mind,  

The house on Belmont Avenue.  
 
Built up on Cinderblocks off the ground,  

What with the rain and the soft swampy land.  

By the sweet honeysuckle that grew all around,  

Were switches when we were bad.  
         C      Dm    F  
I took a bus to Baton Rouge  
I took a bus to Baton Rouge   
 
All the front rooms were kept closed off,  
I never liked to go in there much.  
Sometimes the doors they'd be locked 'cause,  
There were precious thigs that I couldn't touch.  
 
The company couch covered in plastic,  
Little books about being saved.  
The dining room table nobody ate at,  
The piano nobody played.  
 
Chorus 
 
There was this beautiful lamp I always loved,  
A seashore was painted on the shade.  
It turned around when you switched on the bulb,  
and gently rock the waves.  
 
The driveway was covered with tiny white seashells,  
A fig tree stood in the backyard.  
There are other things I remember as well,  
But to tell them would just be too hard.  
 
Ghosts in the wind that blow through my life,  
follow me wherever I go.  
I'll never be free from those chains inside,  
Hidden deep down in my soul.  
 
Chorus