There's Better Things In Life

Last night I slept in a hobo camp down south of Cairo Georgia

About five miles out of town by the railroad track

Well I eat their stew I drunk their brew and I smoked their stale tobacco

I stood up to their open fire and I warmed my back

And in the meantime me and this one particular hobo we struck up a conversation

And I'm sure he must have noticed my surprise

When he told me how his old man died and left him sole heir to a million dollars

And how he gave it all away and he chose a hobo's life

Because he said son there's better things in life

Well there's some things gold and silver just can't buy

He said boy I'd rather sleep here on this dry creek bed

With a wrinkled up overcoat to pillow my head

Than fight that livin' high up on the hog

Tryin' to keep ahead till my head's in a fog

Son there's better things in life than growing ulcers over money

There's better things in life

Sing children hey da da da da...

Well I left Georgia got me a job in Opelika Alabama

Workin' for a man who drove me hard and he paid me cheap yes he did

Well, I watched this poor fool work so hard tryin' to make that almighty dollar

That he had to live on pills from a drugstore down the street

Now like last spring when income tax came due he just sat around for days and worried

Losing good sleep tryin' to figure how to cheat the government yes he did

He worked so hard that his nerves collapsed and he woke up inside Central State Hospital

And on his taxes he got back fourteen dollars and some few cents

So let me tell you friends there's better things in life

Well there's some things gold and silver just can't buy

Because now he's laying out flat on his back on the bed

His nerves all shot and he's out of his head

That hospital bill that'll make him holler

When he sees what he spent tryin' to save himself a dollar

Son there's better things in life than growing squirelly over money

There's better things in life

Sing children sing da da da...