It was the nicest little
whorehouse you ever saw.
It lay about a mile down this old dirt road,
and if you just happened to stumble on it,
you couldn't help but notice
that the barns were painted,
the fences were up,
and you might think to yourself, why,
folks that live there might just
do to run the river with.
Oh, the little house lay in
green Texas glade
Where the trees were as cool
and as fresh lemonade
Soft summer wind had
a trace of perfume
And a fan was turning in every room
20 fans returning, they were turning
20 fans returning in every room
Fevers were burning, they were burning
And they had to have a way
to cool down
Since the 1890s,
this had been one of the better pleasure
palaces in all Texas
In fact, they say some of our Lanville
County boys
celebrated here
Before going off to fight
with Teddy Roosevelt
at San Juan Hill
It was during the Hoover Depression
that Miss Wuller -Jean come along.
She put in a set of rules
and made the place sort of special.
She liked her ladies, as she called them,
to treat a customer real nice.
It had nice watermelons all
covered with vines
And a vegetable garden on
a few slender pines
White painted fence with
the roses in bloom
And a fan was turning in every room
She put a jukebox in the parlor
to sort of help break the ice
A guest could ask a girl to dance
Or if he held back a little,
why, she'd ask him
And pretty soon they'd get
a little business on
Three dollars worth
When the sun would go down
in a wild blaze of light
And the little house lay in the
stillness of night
Fireflies would flicker and float in the gloom
While a fan was turning in every room
20 pounds were turning, they were turning
20 pounds were turning in every room
Fevers were all burning, they were burning
And they had to have a
way to cool down
Now I told you, honey, I have to have my 3 first Miss
Waller -Jean don't allow nothing till I pay my rent
Well, it wasn't always
easy to come up with 3,
especially during the hard times
Bawk! Bawk! Bawk! Bawk!
Oh, you just keep the chicken in the bag
and I'll take him out back
soon as you're finished.
So the girls began accept
ing poultry in trade.
That's how the place got its name,
the Chicken Ranch.
And if you grew up anywhere in Texas,
you knew at an early age
they were selling something
out there other than pullets.
["I'm 20 fans were turning,
they were turning
20 fans were turning
in every room
Speakers were all burning,
they were burning
And they had to have a way to cool down
20 fans were humming,
they were humming
20 fans were humming
in every room
Customers were coming,
they were coming
And they had to have a way
to cool down
I'm coming, I'm coming
Thank you, thank you, Jesus
Twenty fans were turnin'
They were turnin'
Twenty fans were turnin'
In every room
We were sort of burnin'
They were burnin'
And they had to have a
way to cool down
Twenty fans were hummin'
They were hummin'
Twenty fans were hummin'
In every room
Customers were comin'
They were comin'
And they had to have a way to cool down
Y 'all come back now, hear?
BYE BYE!