[Verse 1]
Once I knew a girl in the hard, hard times
She made me a shirt out of fives and dimes
Now she’s gone, but when I wear it she crosses my mind
And if the best is for the best, then the best is unkind

[Verse 2]
I realized that Illinois was more than I could stand
They say working’s best 'cause poverty is hell on a man
Now I ride a lazy river through the Mississippi fan
And if the best is for the best, then the best can be damned

[Verse 3]
I spent a few years on the Queen of Spain
She was a leaky little boat that went up in flames
When the boiler blew, some people started naming names
But if the best is for the best, I guess the best is to blame

[Verse 4]
I spent a few more as the Cairo Crown
A heavyweight wrestler in the Midwest towns
But I was lonesome for a girl who could pin me down
They say the best is for the best, but that’s not what I’ve found

[Verse 5]
Now I listen to my sweetheart and I listen to my thirst
I don’t spend time listening to other people’s words
Sometimes they’re right, most times the reverse
They say the best is for the best when the best’s for the worse
[Outro]
Once I knew a girl in the hard, hard times
Once I knew a girl in the hard, hard times