o o o o LYRICS BELOW
Quarter Moon Rumba ©December 2025 by Mark King
[Verse 1]
Down on Royal where the shadows crawl,
Tambourine man shakin’ bones ‘gainst the wall,
Streetlight flickers like a voodoo flame,
Callin’ my baby by her Creole name.
I got a pocket full of yesterday’s rent,
Ain’t worried ‘bout tomorrow or where it went.
She move like the river when the night get deep,
That Quarter moon rumba put the devil to sleep.
[Chorus]
Oh, play it low, play it slow, let that rumba roll,
Second-line my heartbeat, shake my Creole soul.
From Congo Square to the end of desire,
We dancin’ on the levee in the ring of fire.
Hey hey, mama, don’t you ever quit—
That Quarter moon rumba make the whole world fit.
[Verse 2]
Neon buzzin’ like a flathead Ford,
Jukebox moanin’ some old Clifton chord,
She laugh like bourbon, taste like a sin,
Spin me ‘round the corner and back again.
Got a hound-dog howlin’ on the shotgun porch,
Palm trees swayin’ like a devil’s torch,
Sweat on her shoulder shine like a pearl,
Best damn feelin’ in the whole wide world.
[Chorus]
Oh, play it low, play it slow, let that rumba roll,
Second-line my heartbeat, shake my Creole soul.
From Congo Square to the end of desire,
We dancin’ on the levee in the ring of fire.
Hey hey, mama, don’t you ever quit—
That Quarter moon rumba make the whole world fit.
[Bridge]
Yeah the ghosts in the Quarter still march to the beat…
Bamboula in the alley, feathers in the street…
Ain’t no clock on this feelin’, ain’t no end in sight…
Just you and me, cher, rumba till the mornin’ light.
[Final Chorus]
Play it low, play it slow, let that rumba roll,
Second-line my heartbeat, shake my Creole soul.
When the sun come crawlin’ and the rooster crow,
We still be dancin’ where the wild winds blow.
Hey hey, mama, till my dyin’ day,
That Quarter moon rumba gonna carry me away.
Quarter moon… rumba all night…
Quarter moon… feel so right…