his daddy was an honest man a red dirt georgia farmer his mama lived her young life having kids and bailing hay he had fifteen years and an ache inside to wander jumped a freight in waycross and wound up in la the cold nights had no pity on that waycross georgia farm boy most days he went hungry then the summer came he met a girl known on the strip as san francisco s mabel joy destitution s child born on an la street called shame growing up came quietly in the arms of mabel joy laughter found the mornings that brought the meaning to his life night before she left sleep came and found that waycross country boy with dreams of georgia cotton and a california wife sunday morning found him neath the red light at her door a right cross sent him reelin and put him face down on the floor in place of mabel joy he found a merchant mad marine he said your georgia neck is red but sonny you re still green he turned twenty one in a grey rock federal prison the judge had no mercy on this waycross georgia boy starin at those four grey walls in silnce lord he d listen to the midnight freight he knew could take him back to mabel joy sunday morning found him neath the red light at her door with a bullet in his side he cried have you seen mabel joy stunned and shaken someone said she don t live here no more she left this house four years ago she was lookin for some georgia farm boy