Jimmy Dean I.O.U. - Mom, I Love You (LP)

(Casino Records) 11 tracks - LP from 1977

I.O.U.
You know most people look through their wallets, or their pocketbooks and way down at the bottom, past the credit cards and baby pictures, green stamps—you usually find a little old dog-Barred piece of poetry. I was cleaning out my wallet the other day and I ran across a whole bunch of I.O.U.'s, some of 'em thirty years overdue. Funny thing is—that all these I.O.U.'s are owed to one person. And I kinda feel like right now might be a pretty good time for an accounting.

Mom—you listenin'? Mom, I owe you for so many things, a lot of services, like night watchman for instance, or lyin' awake nights listenin' for coughs, cries, creakin' floor boards and me comin' in too late. You had the eye of an eagle, the roar of a lion, but you always had a heart as big as a house. I owe you for services as a short-order cook, chef, baker, for makin' sirloin out of hamburger, turkey out of tuna fish, and two big old strapping boys out of leftovers.

I owe you for cleaning services, for the daily scrubbing of face and ears—all work done by hand—and for the frequent dustin' of a small boy's pants to try to make sure that he leads a spotless life, and for washin' and ironin' no laundry could ever do; for dryin' the tears of childhood and for ironin' out the problems of growin' up. I owe you for services as bodyguard, for protecting me from the terrors of thunderstorms and nightmares and too many green apples.

And Lord knows I owe you for medical attention, for nursin' me through measles, mumps, bruises, bumps, splinters, and spring fever. And let's not forget medical advice either, oh no, important things like—"Don't scratch it or it won't get well." "If you cross your eyes, they're gonna stick like that." And probably most important of all was "Be sure you got on clean underwear, boy, in case you're in an accident." And I owe you for veterinarian services for feeding every lost dog that I dragged home at the end of a rope, and for healin' the pains of puppy love.

And I owe you for entertainment; entertainment that kept the household gain' during some pretty tough times, for wonderful productions at Christmas, 4th of July and birthdays. And for makin' make-believe come true on a very limited budget. I owe you for construction work, for buildin' kites, confidence, hopes and dreams, and somehow you made 'em all touch the sky; and for cementin' a family together so it'd stand the worst kinds of shocks and blows and for layin' down a good strong foundation to build a life on. I owe you for carryin' charges, for carryin' me on your books for the necessities of life that a growin' boy's just gotta have, things like—oh, a pair of high-top boots with a little pocket on the side for a jackknife.

And one thing, Mom, I will never ever forget—when there were only two pieces of apple pie left and three hungry people, I noticed that you were the one who suddenly decided that you really didn't like apple pie in the first place. These are just a very few of the things for which payment is long overdue. The person I owe 'em to worked very cheap. She managed by simply doin' without a whole lot of things that she needed herself.

My I.O.U.'s add up to much more than I could ever hope to repay, but you know the nicest thing about it all is that I know that she will mark the entire bill paid in full for just one kiss and four little words, "Mom, I Love You."

The song I.O.U. as written by jimmy Dean and Larry Markes