He was driving home one evening In his beat-up Pontiac When an old lady flagged him down Her Mercedes had a flat He could see that she was frightened Standing out there in the snow 'Til he said 'I'm here to help you, ma'm By the way, my name's Joe' She said 'I'm from St. Louis And I'm only passing through I must've seen a hundred cars go by This is awful nice of you' When he changed the tire And closed her trunk And was about to drive away She said 'How much do I owe you?' Here's what he had to say 'You don't owe me a thing I've been there too Someone once helped me out Just the way I'm helping you If you really wanna pay me back Here's what you do Don't let the chain of love end with you' Well, a few miles down the road The lady saw a small cafe She went in to grab a bite to eat And then be on her way But she couldn't help but notice How the waitress smiled so sweet She must have been eight months Along and dead on her feet No, she didn't know her story And she probably never will When the waitress went to get her Change from a hundred dollar bill The lady slipped right out the door And on a nakpin left a note There were tears in the waitress' eyes When she read what she'd wrote 'You don't owe me a thing I've been there too Someone once helped me out Just the way I'm helping you If you really wanna pay me back Here's what you do Don't let the chain of love end with you' That night when she got Home from work The waitress climbed into bed She was thinking about the money And what the lady's note had said As her husband lay there sleeping She whispered soft and low 'Everything's gonna be alright I love you, Joe'