| Spoken |
| NC | S:C | S:G7 | |
| I got cotton in the | bottom land |
| S:C | |
| It's up and growin' and I | got a good stand |
| S:G7 | |
| My good wife and them | kids of mine |
| S:C | |
| Gonna get new shoes, come | Pickin' Time ... |
| G7 | C | |
| Get new shoes come | Pickin' Time. |
| C | G7 | |
| Ev'ry night when I | go to bed |
| C | |
| I thank the Lord that my | kids are fed |
| G7 | |
| They live on beans eight | days and nine ... |
| C | |
| But I get 'em fat come | Pickin' Time |
| G7 | C | |
| Get 'em fat come come | Pickin' Time. |
| The corn is yellow and the beans are high |
| The sun is hot in the summer sky |
| The work is hard til layin' by ... |
| Layin' by til Pickin' Time |
| Layin' by til Pickin' Time. |
| It's hard to see by the coal-oil light |
| And I turn it off purty early at night |
| 'Cause a jug of coal-oil costs a dime ... |
| But I stay up late come Pickin' Time |
| Stay up late come Pickin' Time. |
| My old wagon barely gets me to town |
| I patched the wheels and I watered 'em down |
| Keep her in shape so she'll be fine ... |
| To haul my cotton come Pickin' Time |
| Haul my cotton come Pickin' Time. |
| Spoken | |
| & Strum last verse same as first. |
| Last Sunday mornin' when they passed the hat |
| It was still nearly empty back where I sat |
| But the preacher smiled and said that's fine ... |
| The Lord'll wait til Pickin' Time |
| The Lord'll wait til Pickin' Time. |