It was forty or fifty years ago   A big shot played with time   Mister Walker held the door   And both kept Cord and line   Watched and checked on every single day   Building his own special cars   His very special way         Ooh! The new soft shoe   Ooh! The new soft shoe         And then walking through a southern road   I saw a shoeshine stand   A man was talking to a crowd   Holding slippers in his hands   Don't you know the same thing happens   Each and every day?   Did you ever hear a song   That's hard to even play?         Ooh! The new soft shoe   Ooh! The new soft shoe         Then a color TV broadcast   Snuck from New Orleans   Showed me one more man who spoke   and wore bright blue and green   When you saw him talk his way   Was when he showed his claws   And spoke to people every day   Just to get applause         Ooh! The new soft shoe   Ooh! The new soft shoe .....