Once I Knew A Girl In The Hard Hard Times She Made Me A Shirt Out Of Fives And Dimes Now She¹s Gone But When I Wear It She Crosses My Mind And If The Best Is For The Best Then The Best Is Unkind

I Realized That Illinois Was More Than I Could Stand They Say Working¹s Best Cause Poverty Is Hell On A Man Now I Ride A Lazy River Through The Mississippi Fan And If The Best Is For The Best Then The Best Can Be Damned

I Spent A Few Years On The Queen Of Spain She Was A Leaky Little Boat That Went Up In Flames When The Boiler Blew Some People Started Naming Names But If The Best Is For The Best I Guess The Best Is To Blame

I Spent A Few More As The Cairo Crown A Heavyweight Wrestler In The Midwest Towns But I Was Lonesome For A Girl Who Could Pin Me Down They Say The Best Is For The Best But That¹s Not What I¹ve Found

Now I Listen To My Sweetheart And I Listen To My Thirst I Don¹t Spend Time Listening To Other People¹s Words Sometimes They¹re Right Most Times The Reverse They Say The Best Is For The Best When The Best¹s For The Worse

Once I Knew A Girl In The Hard Hard Times She Made Me A Shirt Out Of Fives And Dimes Now She¹s Gone But When I Wear It She Crosses My Mind And If The Best Is For The Best Then The Best Is Unkind