I wish I'd known the man
a little better
That turned my mama on
He must have been
a heck of a man
'Cause mama was a lady
Don't you know
Mama was no prude
But she was proper
Never wore her
dress too short
She didn't care if you did
But she'd never taken a drink
Grandma Kate
did the best she could
to see mama grew up right
So she'd be fittin' one day
for courtin'
And to wear some
gentleman's ring
I wish I'd known the man
a little better
That turned my mama on
He was always laughin'
And singin' right sweet songs
I wish I'd known the man
a little better
That turned my mama on
He must have been
a heck of a man
'Cause mama was a lady
Don't you know
I hear he came to town one day
in a rusty old '49 Ford
Sellin' ladies shoes
and assorted greetin' cards
He was killer goodlookin'
And easy to like
And turned all the ladies heads
But he saw mama first
And Lord knows
how some of them
travelin' men are
I wish I'd known the man
a little better
That turned my mama on
He was always laughin'
And singin' right sweet songs
I wish I'd known the man
a little better
That turned my mama on
He must have been
a heck of a man
'Cause mama was a lady
Don't you know
Mama seemed to forget
the things that grandma Kate
had always told her
She ran away one night
with that travelin' man
They bought gas
at Rita's Truck Stop
And drove to Desoto County
But he brought her home
with a ring upon her hand
Mama's told me how
the fever took him
when I was barely five
But I remember him
pitchin' me up and catchin' me
And I love to sit and listen
to her tell me about my daddy
She says he thought
the sun would surely rise
and set in me
I wish I'd known the man
a little better
That turned my mama on
He must have been
a heck of a man
'Cause mama was a lady
Don't you know
I wish I'd known the man
a little better
That turned my mama on
He must have been
a heck of a man
'Cause mama was a lady
Don't you know