Now a country boy called Shorty And a city boy named Dan Had to prove who could run the fastest To win miss Lucy's hand Now Dan had all the money And he also had the looks But Shorty must have had something, boys That can't be found in books Well, a-cut across Shorty, Shorty cut across That's what miss Lucy said Cut across Shorty, Shorty cut across It's you I wanna wed Now Dan had been in training A week before the race He made up his mind Ol' Shorty would end in second place And Dan with his long legs a-flyin' Left Shorty far behind And Shorty heard him holler out Miss Lucy, you'll soon be mine Well, a-cut across Shorty, Shorty cut across That's what miss Lucy said Cut across Shorty, Shorty cut across It's you I wanna wed But Shorty wasn't worried There was a smile upon his face He knew that he was a-goin' to win 'Cause Lucy had fixed the race And just like that old story About the turtle and the hare When Dan crossed over the finish line He found Shorty waiting there Well, a-cut across Shorty, Shorty cut across That's what miss Lucy said Cut across Shorty, Shorty cut across It's you I wanna wed