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

And 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

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
As her husband lay there sleeping, 
She whispered soft and low
Everything's gonna be alright, I love you, Joe