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San Francisco Mabel Joy Lyrics by John Denver

Some Days Are Diamonds

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His Daddy was a simple man, just a red dirt Georgia farmer
And his Momma spent her young life havin' kids and balin' hay
He had fifteen years and an ache inside to wander
So he hopped a freight in Waycross and wound up in L.A

Lord, the cold nights had no pity on a Waycross, Georgia farm boy
Most days he went hungry, then the summer came
He met a girl known on the strip as San Francisco's Mabel Joy
Destitutions child born of an L.A. street called "Shame"?

Growin' up came quietly in the arms of Mabel Joy
Laughter found their mornings brought meaning to his life
Yes, the night before she left sleep came and left that Waycross, Georgia boy
With dreams of Georgia cotton and a California wife

Sunday morning found him standin' neath the red light at her door
When a right cross sent him reelin', put him face down on the floor
In place of Mabel Joy he found a merchant mad marine
Who growled, "Your Georgia neck is red but sonny, you're still green"?

He turned twenty-one in a gray rock fed'ral prison
The old judge had no mercy for a Waycross, Georgia boy
Starin' at those four gray walls in silence he would listen
To that midnight freight he knew would take him back to Mabel Joy

Sunday mornin' found him standin' 'neath the red light at her door
With a bullet in his side, he cried, "Have you seen Mabel Joy?"?
Stunned and shaken someone said, "Why, she's not here no more
She left this house four years today, they say she's lookin' for some Georgia farm boy"?

About “San Francisco Mabel Joy” by John Denver

Read the complete lyrics to "San Francisco Mabel Joy" by John Denver from the album "Some Days Are Diamonds". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Cover, In English, USA.

"San Francisco Mabel Joy" is performed by John Denver. from the album "Some Days Are Diamonds" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "San Francisco Mabel Joy", explore more songs by John Denver using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"San Francisco Mabel Joy" is credited to John Denver. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"San Francisco Mabel Joy" appears on "Some Days Are Diamonds".

Visit the John Denver artist page at /artist/john-denver for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.


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