A coat's no match for the wind outside
Winter's come early this year
And it feels like chicago has just lay down to sleep
Her colors have all disappeared

He was born here in this city
I moved here from a tennessee town
With a suitcase and a promise, from a man who said he loved me
But we're all out of love now

So I'm leaving for memphis
Just watch me go
Leaving for memphis
Where the mississippi rolls
It takes a good strong current
To move a heart sometimes
When you've lost your direction
Things like that are hard to find

It's hard to know what to do sometimes
So you step back and wait for a sign
You can wait for a taxi; you can wait for an airplane
Or you can wait for a man to make up his mind

So I'm leaving for memphis
Just watch me go
Leaving for memphis
Where the mississippi rolls
It takes a good strong current
To move a heart sometimes
When you've lost your direction
Things like that are hard to find

When you've done everything that you can do
When you've spent all your currency on words
Maybe the silence of an empty room
Will be the loudest thing he's ever heard

So I'm leaving for memphis
Just watch me go
Leaving for memphis
Where the mississippi rolls
It takes a good strong current
To carry a heart away
So I'm leaving, leaving, leaving
Yes I'm leaving, leaving, leaving
I'm leaving for memphis
Unless he asks me to stay