[Verse 1]
Standin' on side of the Highway 4 exit
A singing lady in tie-dye with a bag by her side
Not seemingly lookin' like anything special
She saw my Tennessee tags and she waved for a ride
She sat right there 'side me as the needle hit sixty
Explaining her travels and her family background
When she got through I could not help but thinking
She's a long way from a West Nashville grand ballroom gown
Yes, she's a long way from a West Nashville grand ballroom gown

[Chorus 1]
Father had money and her mother had love
Channelled entirely to her dear sister Dove
Twenty-two years in society's plan
Cancelled at the swing of her dear mother's hand

[Verse 2]
Two hours later we hit Cincinnati
Yawnin', she woke up and then asked where we were
When she found out, she said "I must be goin'"
It seemed this close to Nashville was too close for her
So I stopped by the roadside and I gave her five dollars
She took it and she kissed me and she gave me a note
She told me I could read if I mailed it in Nashville
On old loose-leaf paper to her mother she wrote
[Chorus 2]
'Mama I'm fine if you happen to wonder'
'I don't have much money but I still get around'
'I haven't made church in near thirty-six Sundays'
'So fuck all those West Nashville grand ballroom gowns'
'Yeah, fuck all them West Nashville grand ballroom gowns'