And my sister did and my Daddy died young
But I never picked cotton

I can look back on with pride

Like my mother did and my brother did
And my sister did and my Daddy died young
And my sister did and my Daddy died young
And I never picked cotton
When I was just a baby too little for the cotton sack

Workin' in a coal mine
I had everything that money could bring and I took it all with a gun

I never picked cotton

And they'll take me in the morning to the gallows just outside
That I'd never stay a single day In that Oklahoma sun
Workin' in a coal mine

And in the time I've got there ain't a hell of a lot
Folks said that I grew up early and the farm couldn't hold me then
And my sister did and my Daddy died young
And my sister did and my Daddy died young
It was Saturday night in Memphis when a redneck grabbed my shirt
'Til they couldn't straighten up their backs
Like my mother did and my brother did
And he said go back to your cotton sack, I left him lying in the dirt
Like my mother did and my brother did
Then it was fast cars and whiskey, long legged girls and fun
So I stole ten bucks and a pickup truck and I never went back again
And I never picked cotton
Like my mother did and my brother did
Workin' in a coal mine
Workin' in a coal mine
And I made myself a promise when I was old enough to run
Workin' in a coal mine
I played in the dirt while the others worked