Madame Lou Graham – One A Week 2020

This post is dedicated to Dale of Friday Fictioneers. FF is run admirably efficiently and lovingly by very talented and generous writer Rochelle Wisoff-Fields and Dale’s posts are fabulous slices of life and always a great pleasure to receive. If you want to write a hundred word story from a photo prompt, FF is for you.

This week Dale posted “Dreams” which reminded me of my several weeks in Seattle in early 2019 – and my fascination with a lady called Lou Graham who valiantly assisted with keeping Seattle financially afloat back in the day. Lou’s business sense, extraordinary generosity and intelligence (she valued education above all else) made her a true City Mother. There is more to read about Lou in Bill Speidel’s funny and informative love letter to Seattle, his excellent book: “Sons of the Profits”.

Madame Lou Graham

Gentlemen, good evening, I hope you’re feeling bright
I’m going to build a city from my ladies of the night
Gentlemen please take a seat
Careless love is very sweet
Your dollar is our wine and meat

Last time or your first time, we will make you feel fine
If you tread the right line, you know what I mean?
We’ll love you for an hour, holding all the power
In a little flower
And a clip of green

It’s not a pretty city and it will never be
The only pretty in this city’s – you and me

Dancing with a stranger, streetcars made of danger
Purple shade and angels, turn such corners here
Come mining for the treasure of a simple pleasure
And we don’t count or measure
Before we take you there

It’s not a pretty city and it will never be
The only pretty in this city’s money, you and me

Gentlemen, good evening, I hope you’re feeling bright
I’m going to build this city from my ladies of the night
Gentlemen please take a seat
Careless love is very sweet
Your dollar is our wine and meat
And there are children we must teach

Little ones, open your books, I got by with work and looks
Keeping tabs on uptown crooks
Who’d steal souls from the dead
But if you have a song to sing, you can’t do a better thing
Except put education in a little girl’s head

Gentlemen, good evening, I hope you’re feeling bright
I have built this city from my ladies of the night
You will not hear so much of me as you do of the other three
But if it hadn’t been for me, there’d be no city – right?

There’s dirt and gold on any street
If you’re the mining kind
Working girls all need to eat
Your dollar is our books and meat
And seeing you is such a treat
The pleasure was all mine

Gentlemen good evening, I hope that you’re still bright
You all built this city from my ladies of the night
Careless love is oh so sweet, hey Senator, vacate that seat
So happy that we chanced to meet
We’ll rendevous again next week
Why thank you, Sir! Here’s your receipt
Good luck, bon chance, goodnight

Lou Graham and her companions circa 1888