There's cryin' in the city   All the people are sayin'   I heard it on the mountain   Where I was living      No food for the children   Oh, the times are so bad   Whatever happened to giving      Oh mama, mend the hole in my coat   Take my guitar off the wall   I've got to go see what I can do   And I hope I'll be back by fall      Summer was a dry one   The wind burned across   And the crows carried off   What was left over      Five nights in the valley lights burned   The people did not stop   As the damage they try to recover      Oh mama, mend the hole in my coat   Take my guitar off the wall   I've got to go see what I can do   And I hope I'll be back by fall      There's lightning in the mountain   And the wind blow so sweet   I swear sometimes this must be heaven      Don't look back, don't think about it   Just think about the road beneath your feet   Remember the gift that must be given      Oh mama, mend the hole in my coat   Take my guitar off the wall   I've got to go see what I can do   And I hope I'll be back by fall