I was listening to an oldies station
the other day and came across this gem from Jimmy Dean. You probably know him as the sausage maker, but he was a singer first, then acted, and finally had the idea of making sausage with his brother and was a huge success. He also was the first guest host on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show.” He had a number of hits in the 1960s and “I.O.U.” was a top 10 hit.
It is most befitting before “Mother’s Day” celebration Sunday, May 8, we all take time to honor our mothers, both living and deceased, for all they did for us while growing up. My mother passed a number of years ago, but I still remember her every day. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! I love you!
“I.O.U.” by Jimmy Dean
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 eared piece poetry.
I was cleaning out my wallet the other day and I ran across a whole bunch of I. O. Yous some of them thirty years overdue. Funny thing is that all these I. O. Yous 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, for lying awake nights listening for coughs, cries, creaking floorboards and me coming 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 making sirloin out of hamburger, turkey out of tuna fish and two big ol’ 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 dusting of a small boy’s pants to try to make sure that he led a spotless life and for washing and ironing, no laundry could ever do. For drying the tears of childhood and for ironing out the problems of growing up.
I owe you for services as a bodyguard, for protecting me from the terrors of thunderstorms and nightmares ha, and too many green apples.
And Lord knows I owe you for medical attention, for nursing me through measles, mumps, bruises, bumps, splinters and spring fever.
And let’s not forget medical advice either, Oh, no.
Important things like ha ha, don’t scratch it or it won’t get well,
If you cross your eyes they’re gonna stick like that And probably ah, 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 the rope and for healing the pains of puppy love.
And I owe you for entertainment, entertainment that kept the household going during some pretty tough times, for wonderful productions at Christmas, 4th of July and birthdays, and for making make believe come true on a very limited budget.
I owe you for construction work, for building kites, confidence, hopes and dreams and somehow you made ’em all touch the sky.
And for cementing a family together so it would stand the worst kinds of shocks and blows and for laying down a good strong foundation to build a life on.
I owe you for carrying charges, for carrying me on your books for the necessities of life that a growing boy just gotta have. Things like, a 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 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 doing without a whole lotta things that she needed herself.
My I. O. Yous 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’ll mark the entire bill paid in full for just one kiss and four little words.
Mom, I love you