The Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp O see Smith From the vinyl album "O see Smith's Greatest Hits" Oh, the path was deep and wide From footsteps leading to our cabin Above the door there burned a scarlet lamp And late at night a hand would knock And there would stand a stranger Yes, I'm the son of Hickory Holler's tramp Yeah, the weeds were high, the corn was dry When daddy took to drinking Him and Sally Walker, they up and ran away Then Momma shed a silent tear And promised fourteen children "I swear you'll never see a hungry day" When Momma sacrificed her pride The neighbours started talking But we were much too young To understand the things they said All we really cared about Was Momma's chicken dumplings And a goodnight kiss Before we went to bed Oh, you know, the path was deep and wide From footsteps leading to our cabin Above the door there burned a scarlet lamp And late at night a hand would knock And there would stand a stranger Yes, I'm the son of Hickory Holler's tramp When Daddy left and destitution Came upon our family Not one neighbour volunteered To lend a helping hand So just let 'em gossip all they want She loved us, and she raised us The proof is standing here A full grown man Last summer Momma passed away And left the ones who loved her Each and every one is More than grateful for their birth And each Sunday she receives A big bouquet of fourteen roses With a card that reads 'The Greatest Mom on Earth' Oh, you know, the path was deep and wide From footsteps leading to our cabin Above the door there burned a scarlet lamp And late at night a hand would knock And there would stand a stranger Yes, I'm the son of Hickory Holler's tramp