The corn was dry, the weeds were high when Betty took to drinkin'Then him and Lucy Walker, they took up and run awayMama cried a tear and then she promised fourteen childrenI swear you'll never see a hungry dayWhen Mama sacrificed her pride, the neighbors started talkin'But I was much too young to understand a thing they saidThe things that mattered most of all was Mama's chicken duplinsAnd a goodnight kiss before we went to bedOh, the path was deep and wide from the footsteps into the cabinAbove the door the burns started playin'And late at night a hand would knock and there would stand a strangerYes, I'm the son of Hickory Harvest TreeWhen Daddy left and destitution came upon our familyNot one neighbor volunteered to give a helping handSo let them gossip all they want, she loved us and she raised usThe proof is standing here for her nameLast summer Mama passed away and left the ones who loved herEach and every one was more than grateful for their birthEach Sunday she receives a fresh bouquet of fourteen rosesAnd a card that says the greatest Mama everOh, the path was deep and wide from the footsteps into our cabinAbove the door the burns started playin'And late at night a hand would knock and there would stand a strangerYes, I'm the son of Hickory Harvest TreeOh, the path was deep and wide from the footsteps into our cabinAbove the door the burns started playin'And late at night a hand would knock and there would stand a strangerYes, I'm the son of Hickory Harvest TreeOh, the path was deep and wide from the footsteps into our cabinAbove the door the burns started playin'And late at night a hand would knock and there would stand a strangerYes, I'm the son of Hickory Harvest Tree