She was a hot-shit singer in a low-rent dive
Lookin like she wanna eat a man alive
Legs get to kickin' in the worn-out shoe
Kemba's got the cabbage moth blues
Laundry in Los Angeles and old St. Lou
Left Carolina with a load or two
Down in Kentucky got them hanging on the line
Mama was dressed so fine

Tell Kentucky how your turnip greens grow
Tell California everything you know
Tell New York, tell Tennessee, come to Carolina your drinks are on me

There's too much chicken in the hen house now
Hens stay in, roosters stay out
See that red chicken sittin' on an egg
Fox got the rooster and the rooster got dead

Got water rolling and a pot of beans
Had to keep the cabbage moth off the greens
Put hot pepper right on the leaf
You'd better wash them off good before you serve them to me

Tell Kentucky how your turnip greens grow
Tell California everything you know
Tell New York, tell Tennessee, come to Carolina your drinks are on me

It was a whiskey and a whiskey and a whiskey and a whiskey and a whiskey and a whiskey and a whiskey
Was the music did play
I hope my mama didn't float away
Because I heard that the Cumberland was out of the banks

Tell Kentucky how your turnip greens grow
Tell California everything you know
Tell New York, tell Tennessee, come to Carolina your drinks are on me

Tell Kentucky how your turnip greens grow
Tell California everything you know
Tell New York, tell Tennessee, come to Carolina and your drinks are on me