[THE CAJUN]
Luanne's fat lip is dryin'
The bastard's bacon fryin'
The shiner 'round her eye's
Gone bust and bleeding
He shouts, "Girl, set the table!"
But he knows she ain't able—
Her arm's done broke
Hung limp like yolk
And softly she's repeating

"Leave, Luanne
Why don't you march out that door?"
Southern woman, he ain't no good to you
Leave, Luanne
Louisiana wants war
But it's you dying on her ruby plains
And yet loyal Luanne remains

Ever since he got him laid off
His sanity just made off
No, he was never nice
But now he's cruel
He rapes her
And he beats her
She don't ‘fess how he treats her
‘Cause a Bible verse says it won't get worse
And she won't be a fool
You won't never
[THE CAJUN + LES VOIX EN DESSOUS INTERMITTENTLY]
Leave, Luanne
‘Cause if you walk out that door
His truck will be gunnin' for you
No, you won't
Leave, Luanne
Or he'll give you what for
Ya got heart where you shoulda had brains
And so loyal Luanne remains

[Bridge]
Someone's
Howling
Screams like sighing
With battered breath (O-o-oh!)
Grating
Growling
Never dying
In a fate worse than death!

But months of such conditions
Turn laymen to logicians
And tonight the bastard's sleeping like a log
So she plucks the kitchen cleaver
Creeps toward his roped up lab-retriever
And she cuts the rope, and hope on hope
She starts to shout
"Your dog's got out!"
She's got her chance
With no back glance
She runs out to the bog
Screamin', screamin'
"Leave, Luanne!"
Leave, Luanne
You got a life left to live
In a house hangin' off the golden coast
Leave, Luanne
You won't forget nor forgive
And she don't feel the stings and rips and scrapes
As finally Luanne escapes

[Instrumental]

Swim, Luanne!
Swim, Luanne!
And in this swamp of leeches (oh!)
As the preacher preaches
As a light (as a light!)
In the night (in the night!)
Push through the marsh and brushes
As the blood inside you rushes
Left and right (left and right!)
All your might (all your might!)

Until ya reach the bank
And ya crawl onto the bank
‘Til ya feel a little yank on your hair
And stricken stare at the bastard
Who beat you there
The bastard lies in bed now
Half sad his wife is dead now
She drowned herself in the swamp
In wild despair
He thinks he used to love her
But push, it came to shove her
A wife disposed
A life case closed
And no one seems to care
To grieve Luanne

Now no one's on his shoulder
But his mattress don't feel colder
In fact it's hellish hot
And the air is dank and steaming
Yet his body starts to shiver
When the window cracks a sliver
And a fiery fog from the miry bog
Pours in the room in a sticky gloom
And there the man sees dead Luanne
He's terrified
But he keeps his pride
Cause he know that he ain't dreaming
And he starts screaming

"Leave, Luanne!
Hell sent y'all back here for more
'Cause ain't no one ever loved you!"
But said Luanne
"I come to settle a score,"
And she shows him her feet are bound in chains
And loyal Luanne
Remains
And remains
And remains
And remains!

Someone's
Howling
Screams like sighing
With battered breath (o-o-oh!)
Grating
Growling
Never dying
In a fate worse than death!

Luanne, she cries her miserable wail
So the bastards will never sleep again
No—no reprieve, Luanne
She brings their souls down to hell
A caution to the cruelest of men (a caution to the cruelest of)—
God loves Luanne!
Praise be!
Amen!