My dear I have something to ask you   And I’ll try to get it right   You’ve heard the Light Crust Doughboys   All sing of Martha White   Oh the way to someone’s heart dear   That old expression’s true   So as long as we’re apart   Here’s my request of you:   Don’t cheat on me with cornbread,   Don’t cheat on me with beans   And don’t cheat on me with bacon, cooked up with collard greens   Don’t cheat on me with biscuits with jelly sweet and blue   Keep it in that place where   you know you will be true   Keep it in your pantry ( x 8 )   I hate that I am leaving   And leaving you behind   But soon I’ll be returning   With a healthy appetite   Oh and if you are not hungry   as you once were before   I’ll know you have betrayed me   behind that kitchen door   Keep it in your pantry ( x 8 )   I’ve dined the whole world over   I’ve had the fries of France   The melons of Verona   The sausage of Gdansk   No matter where I’ve been to,   From _________ to Rome   Nothin’s quite as tasty as what’s cookin’ right at home   Keep it in your pantry ( x 8 )