Pearl Of The Quarter

This song is probably the most "Un-Steely Danish" song in their repetoire, though I am sure "My Old School" comes close.

The live version of "Pearl of the Quarter", (which you can listen to down below) begins with Donald Fagen mentioning that "it is a song about whores". They live in a lovely town called New Orleans, where Red Beans and Rice are a Quarter. :-)

The main difference in this song, is the masterful use of the pedal steel guitar, by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. It gives the song a Country feel, which is not usually a sound you associate with Steely Dan songs.

This clip of "Pearl Of The Quarter" is from the Beacon performance on Rarities and Unreleased Night in 2011.

Pearl Of The Quarter

On the water down in New Orleans
My baby's the pearl of the quarter
She's a charmer like you never seen
Singing voulez voulez voulez vous
Where the sailor spends his hard earned pay
Red beans and rice for a quarter
You can see her almost any day
Singing voulez voulez voulez vous

[Chorus:] And if you hear from my Louise
Won't you tell her I love her so
Please make it clear
When her day is done
She got a place to go

I walked alone down the miracle mile
I met my baby by the shrine of the martyr
She stole my heart with her Cajun smile
Singing voulez voulez voulez vous
She loved the million dollar words I say
She loved the candy and the flowers
that I bought her
She said she loved me and was on her way
Singing voulez voulez voulez vous

[Chorus]