BIRMINGHAM MISTAKE
(Gene Dobbins / Johnny Wilson / Tony Austin)


Sammi Smith - 1972



Well she just couldn't stand the scandal
It was more than she could handle
But I thank her for leavin' me so warm
On a doorstep in a basket
Which was better than a casket
Before she blew town like a gentle storm

And when she left, she left me no name
Folks here tagged me Sho-name
And bein' born was my first big bad break
I wish now that I'd been put down
In a better part of this town
When she got rid of a Birmingham mistake

'Cause I'm livin' with the burden
Of livin' down the Birmingham mistake
The longer that I live makes me wonder
Just how long it's gonna take
When will I have a change o' luck
When will things start lookin' up
And livin' down this Birmingham mistake

Life ain't been a bed of roses
People still look down their noses
I was born without the icin' on cake
It wasn't me who did the choosin'
But it's me who's doin' the losin'
Well I was born a Birmingham mistake

Now I'm livin' with the burden
Of livin' down the Birmingham mistake
The longer that I live makes me wonder
Just how long it's gonna take
When will I have a change o' luck
When will things start lookin' up
And livin' down this Birmingham mistake



(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - July 2018)