In My Reply

Matthew was a country boy
Until one day he found
That cheatin' folks was easier
Than plowin' his daddy's ground

He left his farm in Ohio
Bound for Chicago town
He crossed Big Jim and turned his back
A bullet laid him down

And as he lay there dying
He begged, "Will I see my Ohio?"
In my reply, I lied a bit
And said I did not know

Jim McCall was meek and small
And to become a man
He'd have to build himself up tall
With fancy folks and land

He threw some stones at honest friends
And got himself these things
His children left him and he sneered
"That's what my kindness brings"

And in the South End he got lost
And asked me where to go
In my reply, I lied a bit
And said I did not know

And lazy Susan called me up
She'd heard I stole the show
In my reply I lied a bit
And said I did not know
In my reply I lied a bit
And said I did not know