as i walked out one mornin in the alabama chill i saw some old friends hangin from a tree on hobie s hill by their tattered legs they dangled drippin down along the spine it was old george gudger s overalls a dryin on the line george gudger he s an honest cuss and he loves to work his land and i d long admired his overalls that i held there in my hand my brand new pair was stiffer than a starched up sunday suit but his could walk around by thereselves and plow the corn to boot now the knees looked almost bloody from the red hale county clay george gudger s debts and prayers had kept him kneelin down all day old george owes me money but i owe him my respect if his overalls will fit me boy i ll forget about his debt i stepped into them big old legs like fallin down a mine then i heard a ragged chuckle and there stood old george behind a smile of old tobacco juice just tricklin down his chin he said you might as well try walkin round in someone else s skin but son if you like them old friends of mine so much i guess i can let em go had to lend them to my wife last year while she s carryin little joe she bent down in the fields one day and split that tired old seam and now she s gone and beat em half to death on that rock there by the stream yeah the knees looked almost bloody from the red hale county clay george gudger s debts and prayers they kept him kneelin down all day you know i walked just like a drunken man they dang near made me fall they kept tryin to steer me back towards gudger s place cause they re still old george s overalls at home before the mirror i seemed to be a different man in my mind i kept seein his farmed out patch of land so i took him back his overalls and a week s supply of food i also left my brand new pair and i sneaked home in the nude