Mean Eyed Cat

I gave my woman half my money at the general store,
I said, «Now buy a little groceries and don’t spend no more.»
But she paid ten dollars for a ten cent hat,
And bought some store-bought cat food for that mean-eyed cat.
When I woke up this mornin' and I turned my head,
There wasn’t a cotton pickin' thing on her side of the bed.
I found a little ol' note, where her head belonged.
It said, «Dear John, honey, baby, I’m long gone.»
When I heard a whistle blowin' and the big wheels a-turnin',
I was scared as I could be.
I put on my overalls and I headed to town.
Gonna bring her back with me.
I asked the man down at the station if he’d seen her there.
I told him all about her pretty eyes and long, blonde hair.
He spit his tobacco, said, «I'll be dad blamed,
I believe I did see her leavin' on the east-bound train.»
I bought a round-trip ticket on the east bound train,
I was broke as I could be,
But when I come back, I gotta buy another ticket,
Gonna bring her back with me.
Well, I got off the train somewhere in Arkansas,
And I worked up the guts to call my mother-in-law,
She said, «I'll tell you where she is, if you act right.
She’s workin' four-to-twelve at Trucker’s World tonight.»
Well, when I walked in she saw me and she took off her apron,
And she grabbed her goin'-home hat
She bought a ticket with her tips. Now we’re curled up on the sofa,
Me and her and that mean-eyed cat.