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