Song Description

Story about a murder in New Orleans by a songwriter obsessed with rhyming.

Lyrics

The Way It Rhymes

Lafayette loved Antoinette,
He loved her Cajun etiquette,
The way she played her clarinet,
Lighter than a feather.
He wrote love songs for Antoinette,
But the best part yet for Lafayette,
Their names made a couplet,
The way they rhymed together.

Antoinette played Dixieland,
She went to Bourbon Street to jam,
She loved to sit in with the band,
With Handsome Rhett, the drummer.
She thought Handsome Rhett was grand,
And so they planned a one-night stand,
She took him upstairs by the hand
After their last number.
Then Lafayette broke down the door,
Caught her with her paramour,
Whacked him with her clarinet,
And screamed at Antoinette:

"You sorry slut, I'm sorry but
Now me and you are through,
Even though your name rhymes with mine.
I don't know why I fell for you,
Maybe I'm a crazy fool,
Or maybe I just liked the way it rhymes."

She said, "Please don't kill me, Lafayette,
I'm still your little Antoinette,
I only slept with Handsome Rhett
Because his name rhymes better."
Lafayette knew she was right,
He killed her perfect rhyme that night.
Lafayette was mortified,
And Rhett could not be deader.
The trial was on the TV news,
Microphones and interviews,
Why did you do it, Lafayette?
This is what he said:

"That sorry slut, I'm sorry but
Look what she made me do.
My baby drove me crazy, that's no crime.
Tell me, why was she untrue?
Maybe I'm a crazy fool,
Or maybe she just liked the way it rhymes."

(Clarinet solo)

Lafayette got life plus ten,
Locked up in the loony bin,
The songs he penned would always end
With Antoinette a-smiling.
He couldn't take that crazy place,
He laid awake, planned his escape.
She made his break a piece of cake,
The one she baked a file in.
Now Lafayette is still at large,
He plays guitar in local bars.
They say he might be here tonight,
Singing ditties like:

"You sorry slut, I'm sorry but
I wrote this song for you.
Oh why have I stood by you all this time?
Maybe I'm in love with you,
Maybe I'm a crazy fool,
Or maybe I just like the way it rhymes,
Maybe I just like the way it rhymes."