Mean Eyed Cat

I gave my woman half my money at the general store

I said, "Now, buy a little groceries and don't spend no more"

But she paid ten dollars for a ten-cent hat

And bought some store-bought cat food for that mean-eyed cat

When I woke up this morning and I turned my head

There wasn't a cotton-picking thing on her side of the bed

I found a little old note where her head belonged

It said, "Dear John, honey, baby, I'm long gone"

When I heard a whistle blowing and the big wheels a-turning

I was scared as I could be

I put on my overalls and I headed for town

Gonna bring her back with me

I asked the man down at the station if he'd seen her there

I told him all about her pretty eyes and long blonde hair

He spit his tobacco, said, "I'll be dad-blamed"

"I believe I did see her leaving on the eastbound train"

I bought a round-trip ticket on the eastbound train

I was broke as I could be

But when I come back, I gotta buy another ticket

Gonna bring her back with me

Well, I got off the train somewhere in Arkansas

And I worked up the guts to call my mother-in-law

She said, "I'll tell you where she is if you act right

She's working 4:00 to 12:00 at Trucker's World tonight"

Well, when I walked in, she saw me and she took off her apron

And she grabbed her going-home hat

She bought a ticket with her tips, now we're curled up on the sofa

Me and her and that mean-eyed cat