He was driving home one evening
In his beat up Pontiac
When an old lady flagged him down
Her Mercedes had a flat
He could see that she was frightened
Standing out there in the snow
'Til he said I'm here to help you ma'am
By the way my name is Joe

She said I'm from St. Louis
And I'm only passing through
I must have seen a hundred cars go by
This is awful nice of you
When he changed the tire
And closed her trunk
And was about to drive away
She said how much do I owe you
Here's what he had to say

You don't owe me a thing, I've been there too
Someone once helped me out
Just the way I'm helping you
If you really want to pay me back
Here's what you do
Don't let the chain of love end with you
Well, a few miles down the road
The lady saw a small cafe
She went in to grab a bite to eat
And then be on her way
But she couldn't help but notice
How the waitress smiled so sweet
And how she must've been eight months along
And dead on her feet

Though she didn't know her story
And she probably never will
When the waitress went to get her change
From a hundred dollar bill
The lady slipped right out the door
And on a napkin left a note
There were tears in the waitress's eyes
When she read what she wrote

You don't owe me a thing
I've been there too
Someone once helped me out
Just the way I'm helping you
If you really want to pay me back
Here's what you do
Don't let the chain of love end with you
This last verse of this song I really like

That night when she got home from work
The waitress climbed into bed
She was thinkin' about the money
And what the lady's note had said
And as her husband lay there sleeping
She whispered soft and low
Everything's gonna be alright, I love you, Joe