Oh, I forgot about the shoes
It went way up high and was
Said, “And let me stop in another store"
So I didn’t walk till I was almost 5
And that stuff called mesitor, something like that
And Mommy went in and told them the story that I was dying
That was drunk on moonshine
And Mommy went right back to the same store
You know, to see what that was
Uh, husband, she thinks is going out with this woman in Paintsville
And daddy carrying me in this old quilt
And that happened like four times
Anyway, this woman, we called her old Aunt Boyd
And she took me to the doctor
And them, told Mommy
That they wasn’t in business to give shoes away
To hit this woman in the head with it
Because there wasn’t nothing they could do about
You know and daddy had to do something about it
I remember her hollering, “To put your little red shoes away
And he said, “Clerie, we’re not going to make it home”
That yellow jacket that she was wearing
And Mommy had went, took me to the hospital
It was, it was kind of a mess
And Mommy said, I cried for 5 days
That took me across the big Sandy River
They just tell ‘em to take me home and let me die, you know
You know, they’re my little red shoes
And they’re still there in Paintsville, Kentucky
Mommy said it made both ears
And run all the way ahead t’Butcher Holler with me
And when she went back with it, she hit me in the head
And she was putting them red shoes on me
He left Mommy standing and he took off in a dead run
If they couldn’t do something, but they wouldn’t keep me
And I remember on the big’old bridge that went across the river
And twelve miles back and that I had no shoes
Showing mommy how she was going
And that’s almost twelve miles that daddy run with me
And I thought them was the prettiest things I ever saw in my life
I had a great big knot that show up
That she had to carry me twelve miles to town
And daddy started crying and I wondered why
And I remember asking mommy, “Mommy, why is Daddy running?”
Down the street, you carry her down the street"
And Mommy never had a chance to carry me any farther
And mommy put the shoes on me and daddy took off running
I don’t remember no pain, but I just remember mommy
Just in case somebody was to come in
That I would that I was going to die
Mommy pulled them out from under
But daddy knew that the cops was going to get us
I remember him running but I didn’t know what for
I’ve always been scared of that bridge
She come in and she was telling mommy about her
So I wrote a song called “Put My Little Red Shoes Away”
That Mommy had made out of overhalls
And she said I, that fifth night
And, um, mommy told daddy, says, “Ted, you take her
Right in the middle of my forehead
Mommy told daddy, says, “Carry Loretta on down a little farther”
So she reared back with that big stick
The knots kept getting bigger and bigger
And, you know, the only thing I remember
Because Mommy and Daddy didn’t have no money
When the guy’s back was turned she stole these little red shoes
That place, I think it was Murphy’s 5 and 10
Honey, when you get home” Can you believe that?
And said, “Let me try this store here”
Well, shoot, I hadn’t, I’d never had a pair of shoes
Flat to my face and I ain’t got very big ears
And I think that they told Mommy
That kind of disease, I guess
