Lyrics He Played Real Good for Free (Live in Houston, Texas, 1977) - Crosby, Stills & Nash

I slept last night in a good hotel
I went shopping today for jewels
The wind rushed around the dirty town
And the children let out from their schools
I was standing on a noisy corner
I was waitin′ for the walking green
Across the street he stood
And he played real good
He was playin' real good, for free
Me, I play for fortune
And those velvet curtain calls
I got a black limousine and about thirty-seven criminals
Escorting me to these halls
And I′ll play if you have some money
Or if you're a friend to me
But that one-man band by the quick lunch stand
He was just playin' real good, for free
Nobody, I say nobody, nobody stopped to hear him
Though he played so sweet and high
They knew, they had never seen him on their TV screen
So they passed his music by
Me, I meant to go over, ask for a song
Maybe put on a harmony
I heard his refrain as the signal changed
He was still playin′ real good, for free