On a hot Sunday evening,
I was driving in the country,
When I felt my left-front tire blow
In the trunk I had a spare,
But the jack wasn't there,
On a desolate gravel road

Just across the street
Was a two-room shack
And a girl shelling peas on the porch
When she ran out to meet me in a white cotton dress,
All I could say was; 'Praise the Lord! '

Yeah, I was a long way from Tupelo,
A long way from Tupelo
Yeah, I was stranded in a place that nobody knows
I was a long way from Tupelo

She said, 'My momma's not home,
And we don't have a phone
But if there's anything I can do,
I'd be happy to pour you some cold iced tea
Because I think you're kind of cute'

We went inside and sat down on the couch
And that girl started up on me
And just like Adam in the Garden of Eden,
She showed me that apple and I got weak

I was a long way from Tupelo,
A long way from Tupelo
Yeah, I was stranded in a place that nobody knows
I was a long way from Tupelo

Well, her mother showed up and saw me there
She said what in the world's going on?
She answered, 'Momma, don't worry,
He's a real nice man
Who's broke down and ain't got a way home'
Daddy gave me a ride,
I gave him $20 for his trouble and a tank of gas
It was a day I'll always remember,
But if my wife ever asks
I'd say:

I was a long way from Tupelo,
A long ways from Tupelo
Yeah, I was stranded in a place that nobody knows,
I was a long way from Tupelo
Yeah, I was a long way from Tupelo
A long way from Tupelo
Yeah I was stranded in a place that nobody knows,
I was a long way from Tupelo