Once I had a heart like a mean old hen,
Kept her locked up in a chicken wire pen
Cluckng at the walls, scratching at the ground,
Peck at anybody who would come around

Then one day she didn't sing,
I listened close but I didn't hear a thing
Looking all around, calling her name,
But that was the day my little hen went tame

Cluck old hen, cluck and sing
Ain't laid nothing since way last spring
Cluck old hen, cluck and squall
Ain't laid nothing since way last fall

Well I made it clink and I made it clank,
Shook my heart like a piggy bank
Looking for a yes, looking for a no,
Looking for anything down in that hole

Cluck old hen, cluck and sing
Ain't laid nothing since way last spring
Cluck old hen, cluck and squall
Ain't laid nothing since way last fall

Once I had a heart like a mean old hen,
Bound to lose a finger if you stick it in the pen
Made em yell, made em shout,
Made em cry like you read about

Once I had a heart like a little child,
Once it was greedy, once it was wild
Kicking like a mule, chewing like a pup,
Once upon a time you couldn't shut it up

Cluck old hen, cluck and sing
Ain't laid nothing since way last spring
Cluck old hen, cluck and squall
Ain't laid nothing since way last fall