[Verse 1]
Bet it ain't raining back home
Bet your sister's still on the phone
Bet Mama's in the kitchen cooking fried chicken
Wishing that I hadn't went wrong

[Spoken]
Oh, but Mama, don't you worry
'Cause everything's gonna be alright
They're teaching me lots of good things down here
And besides that, I figured out some things on my own like

[Chorus]
There ain't no good in an evil-hearted woman
And I ain't cut out to be no Jesse James
And you don't go writing hot checks down in Mississippi
And there ain't no good chain gang

[Verse 3]
Papa's reading yesterday's mail
Wishing that the hay was all baled
I bet that he is wishing we could go fishing
Instead of me sitting here in this old god-damned jail

[Spoken]
Oh Papa, don't worry
When I get home, I'm gonna buy you a new baler
You see I've got some money stashed away they don't know about
I just hope they ain't intercepted this letter
Besides that, I'm learning lots of things down here like
[Chorus]
There ain't no good in an evil-hearted woman
And I ain't cut out to be no Jesse James
And you don't go writing hot checks down in Mississippi
And there ain't no good chain gangs

[Chorus]
There ain't no kind of good in an evil-hearted woman
And I ain't cut out to be no Jesse James
And you don't go writing hot checks down in Mississippi
And there ain't no good chain gang