Lord His d addy was an honest man just a red dirt Georgia f armer
And his m ama lived her short life having kids and bailing h ay
He had fifteen years and he a ched inside to w ander
So he j umped a freight in Waycross and w ound up in L.A .
The c old nights had no pity on that W aycross Georgia f arm boy
M ost days he went hungry and then the summer c ame
H e met a girl known on the strip as S an Franciscos M abel Joy
Destitutions child born of an L .A. street called s hame
Growing up came quietly in the arms of Mabel J oy
L aughter found their mornings brought a meaning to his l ife
And the n ight before she left sleep came and left that Waycross c ountry boy
With d reams of Georgia cotton and a C alifornia w ine
Sunday m orning found him standing beneath the red light at her d oor
When a r ight cross sent him reeling put him f ace down on the f loor
And in p lace of his Mabel Joy he found a merchant mad mar ine
Who g rowled "Your Georgia neck is red but s onny you're still g reen"
He turned twenty-one in a g rey rock federal p rison
The o ld judge had no mercy on that Waycross country b oy
S taring at those four grey walls in s ilencehe would li sten
To the m idnight freight he knew could take him b ack to Mabel J oy
Sunday morning found him lyin' 'neath the red light at her d oor
With a b ullet in his side he cried "Have y ou seen Mabel J oy
Stunned and shaken someone said "Son she don't live here no m ore.
She le ft this house four years today they say she's looking f or
Some Georgia f arm boy".
