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"RED" HAYES:
The song came from my mother. Everything in the song are things I heard her say over the years. I put a lot of thought into the song before I came up with the title. One day my father-in-law asked me who I thought the richest man in the world was, and I mentioned some names. He said, "You're wrong, it is the man with a satisfied mind." It has been done a lot in churches. I came out of the Opry one night and a church service was going on nearby. The first thing I hear was the congregation singing "Satisfied Mind." I got down on my knees.

as quoted in Country Music People, Jul 1973, reprinted in Dorothy Horstman, Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy, New York, 1976, p. 255.

ORIGINAL LYRICS

as reprinted ibid., pp. 255-256.

How many times have you heard someone say,
"If I had his money I'd do things my way."
But little they know that it's so hard to find
One rich man in ten with a satisfied mind.

Once I was winning in fortune and fame;
Everything that I dreamed for to get a start in lifes game.
But suddenly it happened, I lost every dime,
But I'm richer by far with a satisfied mind.

Money can't buy back your youth when you're old
Or a friend when you're lonely or a love that's grown cold;
The wealthiest person is a pauper at times
Compared to the man with a satisfied mind.

When life has ended, my time has run out,
My friends and my loved ones I'll leave, there's no doubt.
But one thing for certain, when it comes my time,
I'll leave this old world with a satisfied mind.