I was working in miami for a day or two
I decided I'd look up a girl that I once knew
I bought some flowers and went to see a girl I used to know
The lady at her door said she had married long ago

Times will change and towns will change; there I was alone
And suddenly I wondered, would susie be at home?
So with the flowers in my hand, I walked toward her gate
Someone touched me on the arm and said, you'll have to wait.

Then I noticed there were people standing in a line
And some of them were holding pretty flowers just like mine
They explained that susie had been in an awful crash
Doctors said that she had just a little while to last

When I walked into her room, I felt a sense of shame
But I heard susie whisper, I'm awfully glad you came.
She had been the girl that I had always gone to see
When someone that I cared for had been untrue to me

I handed her the flowers and she gently kissed my hand
She said, don't be embarrassed; you know I understand.
I said, goodbye and as I bent to kiss her fevered brow
I heard her whisper, thank you for the second handed flowers.

• A Million Miles to The City
• It Sure Can Get Cold in Des Moines
• Second Handed Flowers
• The Little Lady Preacher
• The Year That Clayton Delaney Died
• Trip to Hyden
• Tulsa Telephone Book