Papa's Medicine Show lyrics

It doesn't seem so long ago, when papa had his medicine show.

All the family had a part. I still know them all by heart.

Everywhere we traveled we sang that little song.

Just sold enough liniment to barely get along.

One bottle, two bottle, three bottle, four,

Mama looks twenty, but she's really eighty four.

Look at papa fiddle, just listen to him play,

had a touch of rheumatism just the other day.

Then he threw away his water bottle, threw away his pills.

Aunt Perdy's liniment cured all his ills.

One year in Oklahoma pop was gettin' old.

There wasn't much demand for medicine shows.

I still can hear us singing to a dwindlin' crowd that spring.

We didn't know that it would be the last time we would sing:

One bottle, two bottle, buy it by the quart.

Uncle John used it on his foot and cured a wart.

All you people sitting here in the front row,

don't you want to try it? It'll cure a sore toe.

If you throw away your water bottle, throw away your pills,

Aunt Perdy's liniment'll cure all your ills.

Papa started ailing and passed away that fall.

We all had to pick cotton to pay the funeral hall.

I never got much schoolin', but I learned one thing for sure:

There are things in this old life Aunt Perdy's couldn't cure.

One bottle, two bottle, three bottle, four,

Mama looks twenty, but she's really eighty four.

Look at papa fiddle, just listen to him play,

had a touch of rheumatism just the other day.

But he threw away his water bottle, threw away his pills.

Aunt Perdy's liniment cured all his ills.

One bottle, two bottle, buy it by the quart.

Uncle John used it on his foot and cured a wart.

All you people sitting here in the front row,

don't you want to try it? It'll cure a sore toe.

If you throw away your water bottle, throw away your pills,

Aunt Perdy's liniment'll cure all your ills.

One bottle, two bottle, three bottle, four,

Mama looks twenty, but she's really eighty four.

Look at papa fiddle, just listen to him play,

had a touch of rheumatism just the other day.

But he threw away his watter bottle, threw away his pills.

Aunt Perdy's liniment cured all his ills.

• Artist:Bobbie Gentry
• Album:Local Gentry