Don't call my name out your window, I'm leavin' --
I won't even turn my head.
Don't sent your kinfolk to give me no talkin' --
I'll be gone, like I said.

You'd just say the same old things
That you be sayin' all along,
Just lay there in your bed and keep your mouth shut,
Till I'm gone.
Don't give me that old familiar cry and fuss and moan --

Understand your man.

Now, you can give my other suit to the Salvation Army,
And everything else I leave behind --
I ain't takin' nothin' that'll slow down my travelin'
While I'm untanglin' my mind.

Now, I ain't gonna repeat
What I said any more --
While I'm breathin' air that ain't been breathed before,
I'll be just as gone as the wild goose in winter --

Understand your man, meditate on it --
Understand your man, I'm tired of your bad-mouthin' --
Understand your man.