Little Red Shoes

I was 11 months old, I was just startin' to walk
And daddy always kept, a big stick behind the door
Just in case somebody was to come in
That was drunk on moonshine

You know and daddy had to do something about it
Anyway, this woman, we called her old Aunt Boyd
She come in and she was telling mommy about her
Uh, husband, she thinks is going out with this woman in Paintsville

So she reared back with that big stick
Showing mommy how she was going
To hit this woman in the head with it
And when she went back with it, she hit me in the head

And Mommy said, I cried for 5 days
And she said I, that fifth night
I had a great big knot that show up
Right in the middle of my forehead

And, you know, the only thing I remember
I dont remember no pain, but I just remember mommy
And daddy carrying me in this old quilt
That Mommy had made out of overhalls

The knots kept getting bigger and bigger
And she took me to the doctor
And that stuff called mesitor, something like that
Mommy said it made both ears
Flat to my face and I aint got very big ears

And them, told Mommy
That I would that I was going to die
And that happened like four times
So I didnt walk till I was almost 5
It was, it was kind of a mess

Oh, I forgot about the shoes
Well, shoot, I hadnt, Id never had a pair of shoes
And Mommy had went, took me to the hospital
You know, to see what that was

If they couldnt do something, but they wouldnt keep me
Because Mommy and Daddy didnt have no money
They just tell em to take me home and let me die, you know
Because there wasnt nothing they could do about
That kind of disease, I guess

And, um, mommy told daddy, says, Ted, you take her
Down the street, you carry her down the street"
And said, Let me try this store here
And Mommy went in and told them the story that I was dying

That she had to carry me twelve miles to town
And twelve miles back and that I had no shoes
That place, I think it was Murphys 5 and 10
And theyre still there in Paintsville, Kentucky

And I think that they told Mommy
That they wasnt in business to give shoes away
Mommy told daddy, says, Carry Loretta on down a little farther
Said, And let me stop in another store"

And Mommy went right back to the same store
When the guys back was turned she stole these little red shoes
And I remember on the bigold bridge that went across the river
It went way up high and was

Ive always been scared of that bridge
That took me across the big Sandy River
Mommy pulled them out from under
That yellow jacket that she was wearing

And she was putting them red shoes on me
And I thought them was the prettiest things I ever saw in my life
And daddy started crying and I wondered why
And he said, Clerie, were not going to make it home

And mommy put the shoes on me and daddy took off running
And run all the way ahead tButcher Holler with me
And Mommy never had a chance to carry me any farther
And thats almost twelve miles that daddy run with me

But daddy knew that the cops was going to get us
He left Mommy standing and he took off in a dead run
I remember him running but I didnt know what for
And I remember asking mommy, Mommy, why is Daddy running?

I remember her hollering, To put your little red shoes away
Honey, when you get home Can you believe that?
So I wrote a song called Put My Little Red Shoes Away
You know, theyre my little red shoes
And I dont want em to get to be dirty