san francisco mabel joy

my daddy was an honest man

just a redneck georgia farm boy

my momma spent her short life

raisin' kids and bailin' hay

and i was just fifteen when i ached inside to wonder

so i hoped a freight in waycross and i rode it to l.a. well

i met a girl known on the strip as san francisco's maybel joy

destitutions child

born on a l.a. street called shane

and sleep came and left this little waycross georgia country boy

maybel joy was gone

lord

i'd never see her again

growin' up came quietly in the arms of maybel joy

laughter found our morning's

brought new meaning to my life

i woke up one day

lord to find that i was by myself

with dreams of georgia cotton and california wine

sunday mornin' found me standin' 'neath the red-light of her door

right 'cross sent me reelin'

laid me face down on the floor

in place of maybel joy i found a merchant mad marine

who said

your georgia neck is red but son you're still green"