Tulsa’s Last Magician Willi Carlisle

[Verse 1]
Well, Tulsa's last magician got his start at four
Pulled a quarter from his own ear and spun it on the floor
Since there's no good tricks but old ones and lyin' ain't that hard
He saved up all his quarters and he bought a deck of cards

[Verse 2]
And he learned ragtime piano, though his teacher thought him slow
Got a black belt in karate from a pawn shop video
And he'd practice all his worst mistakes in a dirty bathroom mirror
And when his mother drank, he learned to disappear

[Chorus]
And his classmates thought him funny and good at sleight of hand
He had this grand finale that they refused to understand
It's hard to tell the whole truth of a family sawed in half
And that's why Tulsa's last magician left his home so fast

[Verse 3]
Well, down and out in Reno, broke in Santa Fe
Turnin' tricks on Los Sueñeros out in the Californ-i-ay
Well, they pushed him up against a wall and said buddy, get a grip
So he learned to set himself on fire on the Las Vegas strip

[Verse 4]
And he wandered down to Tampa, blew everybody's minds
'Cause the crowd was cheap and easy there, on beer and blow and wine
Said, "I wonder where my dollar went, how'd the flower bloom so fast?"
Said, "I can't reveal my secret," though they rarely failed to ask