I Get Lonesome By Myself

(album: Love And Music - 1973)

In a dingy upstairs room in the dirty part of town
A little girl stood waving from a window
She was calling to me
I was standing down below
And I heard her small voice saying

"Hey Mister, won't you to come up here and talk to me?
You ain't got no other place to go
I can't come outside and play 'cause I ain't got no friends
I can't come outside no way 'cause my mom is gone
And locked me in
But there is the key outside the door, it's laying on the shelf
Won't you to come up here and talk to me
'Cause I get lonesome by myself?"

I was feeling lonesome too
And I knew just how she felt
And I knew just what she meant
When she said she got lonesome by herself
She kept calling to me and I thought
Well, since her mama's gone
I'll go up and talk to her a while since we're both alone
We got to talking and I asked her why she was there by herself

"Well, my mommy never used to leave me by myself at night
But mommy says I'm bigger now
I'm not but that's alright
I don't go to school 'cause I'm not old enough right yet
But I can go to school next year
'Cause next year I'm gonna be six
I used to have a daddy, but he left a long time ago
I asked my mommy why he left
But my mommy says she don't know
I know she loves my daddy
'Cause sometimes when I smile mommy says I look just like him
Then these tears get in my mommy's eyes
My mommy drinks
I know she does 'cause I can smell it on her breath
Mommy never used to drink so I know it's 'cause my daddy's gone
And my mommy, she gets lonesome by herself
I sure get lonesome by myself"

How she talked about her daddy, it reminded me of me
How I walked out of my own little girl
And a woman that really loved me
As I was thinking of them, she said
"Have you got a little girl that's about the size of me?
Have you got a picture of her I can see?"

I took a picture from my wallet and handed it to her
When she saw the picture I couldn't believe her words
"Hey, that's my mommy in that picture
And that baby, well, that baby must be me
And you must be my daddy then"

Then the tears rolled down my face like they never had before
I just couldn't believe it as I held her in my arms
And I said, "I'll wait here until your mama comes
And I'll tell her that I still love her and I'm sorry that I'd ever left
And I'd like to stay if she let me
'Cause I sure get lonesome all by myself"

"Well, you won't be lonesome now 'cause I love you"