—Cal Veale
Well the cows gone dry the hens don't lay
And there's no place I can borrow
I give the landlord all the news
And the rent comes due tomorrow
There's lots of money in the bank
They say that's where they keep it
Not only wouldn't they loan me some
They wouldn't let me see it
Chorus:
So pick away on the old banjo
Keep that guitar strumming
Put more water in the soup
There's better times a-coming
Well Mary Lou could pull a plow
If only I would let her
She's twice as strong as any ox
But looks a little better
I didn't kiss that Mary Lou but once
And then I had to leave her
Made my collar get so tight
I start to burn with fever
Chorus
My rooster used to chase a hen
He just kept a gettin' thinner
He nearly run himself to death
So I brought him in for dinner
Cotton crops are mighty poor
The weeds are really growin'
I need a woman pretty fast
To help me with the hoein'
Chorus
A man came by the other day
Lookin' for manual labor
I told him I hadn't seen the guy
Why don't he ask my neighbor
So come on boys and get your gals
And kick your heels up higher
Don't let no one steal your gal
Just hold her a little tighter
Chorus
Verse & Chorus, Jimmy Martin version:
| I | I | I | V |
| V | V | V | I :| |
Verse & Chorus, Jim & Jesse version::
| I | I | I | V |
| I | IV | I – V | I :| |