Well I was pickin corn with my brother Kay
on a long corn row on a sunny day.
Now Kay he was kind of the silent kind,
so I had to invent me some friends in my mind.
Till a bird flew by through the bright blue sky,
and landed on a piece of the corn nearby.
Finally, a friend made of flesh and bone,
till Kay chased him off with a great big stone.
Saying, ‘We ain’t coming here to have no fun,
gotta pick corn till the day is done.
Then we’ll be taking home some cash to our ma;
she’ll go and put it in a great big jar.’
Well, I was in the kitchen with my ma all day,
we was cookin supper for thanksgiving day.
I was now married to a man named John,
just like Kay he was a silent one.
Well, I needed some help to bring his feelings out,
put kentucky moonshine in his irish stout.
I think he was beginning to feel real great
until he fell face first into the turkey plate.
My brothers laid him down in a warm dark bed,
told me to sit in there and hold his head,
told me to sit in there and hold his head
until he came back to his senses again.
I could hear the others laughin through a crack in the door
as I stared at a strip of light on the floor;
I guess it’s just what I wanted anyway,
being close to my husband on thanksgiving day.
So many people here looking at me,
people made of flesh and blood just like me.
I don’t like being up on stage too much;
you can look & make noise but you can’t really touch.
If I had this many friends I would feel so great,
so I scan the crowd for a friendly face.
If I had this many lovers I would feel so fine,
but I try to keep them thoughts out of my mind.
Cause I’ve seen the way the story ends before,
and it ain’t making love on the barroom floor,
it’s me walkin lonely out the back-side door
to go back home and be alone some more.
But that ain’t the stuff I should be thinkin of;
it’s clear I ain’t here to be making love.
It oughta be enough just to play my guitar,
and keep my heart in a great big jar.