Fever had me down all week in bed,
Half-crazy thoughts swimmin' 'round in my head;
My eyes saw lights, my ears heard sounds,
The sweat did pour and the blood did pound;
I said "Mama tell me true, tell me what's the score,"
She said "Son you look like you're at death's door."

Later in the night when the house was asleep,
I felt myself risin' up dead on my feet;
Halfway awake, halfway asleep, 
Walkin' out in the snow down the dark empty streets;
I came to a house, walked up on the porch,
Said to myself "Looks like you're at death's door."

I heard a piano pound and a saxophone wail,
As I stumbled up the steps holdin' on to the rail;
I heard women laugh, I heard women sing,
As I looked through the door on that crazy scene;
I said "Mr. Death at least one thing's for sure--
You throw one swingin' party" and I knocked on the door."
 
"Oh I don't know if I'm alive or I've died,
All I know is that it's freezing outside;
Won't you take me in to your smoky affair,
I'm chilled to the bone out here on the stair".
I knocked as hard as my strength would allow,
Til the voice from inside asked "Who is it now?"

I said "Mr. Death I know you're partyin' hard,
From the din in the air and the cars in the yard;
From the look of things I'd say you're my kind of guy,
From the look of things I'd say we see eye to eye."
I knocked on that door til it shook on the frame,
And the voice said "There's no one here by that name."

I figure I stood there in disbelief,
With more sense of rejection than sense of relief;
I figure I fell into some kind of swoon,
Off the steps into the snow beneath that cold December moon;
All that I know is when I finally awoke,
I was back home in bed and the fever broke.

Copyright © Thomas Anderson, Angry Young Grad Student Music