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 waiting in fortune and fame
Everything that I dreamed of to get a start in life's game
Suddenly it happened I lost every dime
But I'm richer by far with a satisfied mind

When my life is over and my time has run out
My friends and my loved ones I'll leave there's no doubt
But one thing is for certain when it comes my time
I'll leave here for certain with a satisfied mind

I got a satisfied mind
...


Original lyrics

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 of to get a start in life's game
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.


Notes

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).
— source : www.bobdylanroots.com


Also appears on

There Will Be A Light 2004 - Virgin Records America, Inc.