Last night I slept in a hobo camp down south of Cairo Georgia
About five miles out of town by the railroad track
Well I eat their stew I drunk their brew and I smoked their stale tobacco
I stood up to their open fire and I warmed my back

And in the meantime me and this one particular hobo we struck up a conversation
And I'm sure he must have noticed my surprise
When he told me how his old man died and left him sole heir to a million dollars
And how he gave it all away and he chose a hobo's life

Because he said son there's better things in life
Well there's some things gold and silver just can't buy
He said boy I'd rather sleep here on this dry creek bed
With a wrinkled up overcoat to pillow my head
Than fight that livin' high up on the hog
Tryin' to keep ahead till my head's in a fog
Son there's better things in life than growing ulcers over money
There's better things in life
Sing children hey da da da da da da da da...

Well I left Georgia got me a job in Opelika Alabama
Workin' for a man who drove me hard and he paid me cheap yes he did
Well I watched this poor fool work so hard tryin' to make that almighty dollar
That he had to live on pills from a drugstore down the street

Now like last spring when income tax came due he just sat around for days and worried
Losing good sleep tryin' to figure how to cheat the government yes he did
He worked so hard that his nerves collapsed and he woke up inside Central State Hospital
And on his taxes he got back fourteen dollars and some few cents
So let me tell you friends there's better things in life
Well there's some things gold and silver just can't buy
Because now he's laying out flat on his back on the bed
His nerves all shot and he's out of his head
That hospital bill that'll make him holler
When he sees what he spent tryin' to save himself a dollar
Son there's better things in life than growing squirelly over money
There's better things in life
Sing children sing da da da da da da da da