A                     D                   A
His daddy was a honest man, a red dirt Georgia farmer
                                                    E
His mama lived a short life having kids and bailing hay
A                        D              A
 He had fifteen years of ache inside to wander
                                     E           A
He jumped a freight in Waycross and wound up in L.A.


[Verse 2]
     A                               D               A
The cold nights had no pity on that Waycross Georgia farm boy
                                          E
Most days he went hungry, then the summer came
    A                                D               A
He met a girl known on the strip as San Francisco's Mabel Joy
                               E                   A   A7
Destitutions child born on an L.A. street called shame


[Verse 3]
    D                                         A
Growing up came quietly in the arms of Mabel Joy
                                                            E
Laughter found their mornings it brought new meaning to his life
     D                                                       A
The night before she left sleep came and found that Waycross country boy
                                  E           A
With dreams of Georgia cotton and California wine


[Verse 4]
D                                                     A
Sunday morning found him beneath the red light at her door
                                                            G    E
A right cross sent him reeling and put him face down on the floor
   D                                            A
In place of Mabel Joy he found a merchant mad marine
                                  G                       E      A
He said your Georgia neck is red,  but sonny you're still green


[Verse 5]
    A                    D                A
He turned twenty-one in grey rock federal prison
                                                 E
The judge had no mercy on this Waycross, Georgia boy
   A                            D                    A
Staring at those four grey walls in silence, Lord he listened
                                               E             
To the midnight freight he knew could take him back to Mabel Joy


[Verse 6]
D                                                     A
Sunday morning found him beneath the red light at her door
                                   G                    E
With a bullet in his side he cried, have you seen Mabel Joy
  D                                                    A
Stunned and shaken someone said she don't live here no more
                                   G               E
She left this house four years ago she was looking for
              D         A
Some Georgia farm boy.