I was 11 old, I was just startin' to walk And daddy always kept, a big stick the door Just in case somebody was to in That was on moonshine
You and daddy had to do something about it Anyway, this woman, we her old Aunt Boyd She come in and she was telling mommy her Uh, husband, she thinks is going out with this in Paintsville
So she reared back that big stick Showing mommy how she was To hit this woman in the with it And when she went back it, she hit me in the head
And said, I cried for 5 days And she said I, fifth night I had a great big that show up Right in the of my forehead
And, you know, the only thing I I dont remember no pain, but I just remember And carrying me in this old quilt That Mommy had made out of
The knots getting bigger and bigger And she took me to the And that stuff called mesitor, something like Mommy said it both ears Flat to my face and I aint got very big
And them, told That I would I was going to die And happened like four times So I didnt till I was almost 5 It was, it was of a mess
Oh, I forgot about the Well, shoot, I hadnt, Id had a pair of shoes And Mommy had went, me to the hospital You know, to see that was
If couldnt do something, but they wouldnt keep me Because Mommy and Daddy didnt no money They just tell em to me home and let me die, you know there wasnt nothing they could do about That of disease, I guess
And, um, told daddy, says, Ted, you take her Down the street, you carry her the street" And said, Let me try this store And Mommy went in and told the story that I was dying
she had to carry me twelve miles to town And twelve miles back and I had no shoes place, I think it was Murphys 5 and 10 And theyre still there in Paintsville,
And I that they told Mommy That they in business to give shoes away Mommy told daddy, says, Carry Loretta on down a farther Said, And let me in another store"
And Mommy right back to the same store When the back was turned she stole these little red shoes And I remember on the bridge that went across the river It way up high and was
Ive always been of that bridge That took me across the big Sandy pulled them out from under That jacket that she was wearing
And she was them red shoes on me And I them was the prettiest things I ever saw in my life And daddy started crying and I why And he said, Clerie, were not going to make it
And mommy put the shoes on me and took off running And run all the way ahead tButcher Holler me And Mommy never had a chance to me any farther And thats almost twelve miles that run with me
But daddy that the cops was going to get us He left standing and he took off in a dead run I remember him running but I know what for And I remember mommy, Mommy, why is Daddy running?
I remember her hollering, To put your little red away Honey, when you get Can you believe that? So I wrote a song called Put My Red Shoes Away You know, theyre my little red And I want em to get to be dirty