Say you wanna see my garden
And you wanna make it shine
Say you wanna see my blue jeans
Hanging on your old clothes line

Standing in the back door crying
Now you wanna be my friend
That’s the way the cornbread crumbles
That’s the way the whole thing ends

Now what’s the little baby doing
Dressing up in beggars clothes
And what’s a little sweet heart like you
Doing w a bloody nose

Standing in the back door crying
Now you’re gonna need a friend
That’s the way the cornbread crumbles
That’s the way the whole thing ends

Now once you had a hood and ladder
Up into the headless night
Now once you had a motor-cycle
But you couldn’t ride it right

Standing in the doorway crying
Now you’re gonna need a friend
That s the way the whole thing ends

Now someone said something one time
But daddy didn’t talk too loud
People ought to stick together
That’s the way to make a crowd

But here you come alone and crying
Now you wanna be my friend
That’s the way the cornbread crumbles
That’s the way the whole thing ends

Mama’s in the beauty parlor
Daddy’s in the baseball pool
Sister’s in the drive-in movie
Brother’s in the old high school

I hear you come alone and crying
Once you know you were my friend
That’s the way the cornbread crumbles
That’s the way the whole thing ends

Standing in the back door crying
Now you wanna be my friend
That’s the way the cornbread crumbles
That’s the way the whole thing ends