The corn was dry and the weeds were high when daddy took to drinking
Then him and Lucy Walker they took up and ran away
Mama cried a tear and then she promised fourteen children
I swear you'll never see a hungry day
Oh the path was deep and wide from footsteps leading to our cabin
Above the door there burned the scarlet lamp
And late at night a hand would knock and there would stand a stranger
Yes I'm the son of Hickory Holler's tramp

When mama sacrificed her pride the neighbors started talkin'
But I was much too young to understand the things they said
The things that mattered most of all was mama's chicken dumplings
And the goodnight kiss before we went to bed
Oh the path was deep and wide

When daddy left then destitution came upon our family
Not one neighbor volunteered to give a helping hand
So let 'em gossip all they want she loved us and she raised us
The proof is standing here a full grown man
Last summer mama passed away and left the ones who loved her
Each and every one of us were more than grateful for our birth
Now every Sunday she receives a fresh bouquet of fourteen roses
With a card that says to the greatest mom on earth
Oh the path was deep and wide
Yes I'm the son of Hickory Holler's tramp