Well out of Southern Illinois come a down home country boy

He's gonna make it in the city playin' guitar in the studio

Well he hadn't been there an hour, when he met a Broadway flower

You know she took him for his money and left him in a cheap hotel

Well it's easy for you to see that that country boy is me

Tell me how am I ever gonna break the news to the folks back home

I was gonna be a great success

Oh but that sure ended up a mess

And in the process I got messed up too

Hello Mom and Dad I hate to call collect

But I ain't got a cent to my name

And I'm sleepin' in the hotel doorway

And tonight they say it's gonna rain

If I could only get me some money

You know I'd be back on my feet again

Send it in care of the Sunday Mission

Box number ten

Outta Southern Illinois they're still worried 'bout their boy

But this boy's goin' home soon's he get's a fare

Well as soon as I got the bread

I got a pipe upside my head

You know they left me in an alley

Took my money and my guitar, too

Hello Mom and Dad I hate to call collect

But I ain't got a cent to my name

And I'm sleepin' in this hotel doorway

And tonight they say it's gonna rain

If I could only get me some money

You know I'd be back on my feet again

Send it in care of Sunday Mission

Box number ten

Send it in care of Sunday Mission

Box number ten