Pepper

“Pepper”

Verse 1
Cindy was twelve, Christmas coming,
Came through the door one afternoon,
Grandma had the vacuum running,
And a spotted dog was in the room.
She said, “I’m only dog-sitting,
She’ll be going home before too long,”
Then Mama walked in smiling,
And Cindy knew that something was going on.

Pre-Chorus
Mama said, “There’s something
Grandma didn’t tell you true—
That little Dalmatian isn’t leaving,
She belongs to you.”

Chorus
And Cindy cried over Pepper,
The best Christmas surprise of all,
Black and white and running circles,
Down the kitchen and through the hall.
We searched the spices for a name,
Till one somehow just felt right—
Pepper became part of the family
On that unforgettable night.

Verse 2
She grew into the kind of dog
Every childhood ought to know,
Always there beside you,
Everywhere you’d ever go.
And Cindy had her beauty parlor,
Pepper patiently played along,
Painting all her toenails red,
Like nothing in the world was wrong.

Chorus
Oh, Cindy loved her Pepper,
The best little friend she ever had,
Black and white with toenails shining,
Through the good times and the bad.
A name picked out among the spices,
A Christmas gift with spots of white—
Pepper became part of the family
On that unforgettable night.

Bridge
Funny what stays with you forever—
A vacuum humming across the floor,
Grandma keeping Christmas secrets,
Mama coming through the door.
A row of spices in the kitchen,
A twelve-year-old with happy tears,
And a spotted dog named Pepper
Still running through the years.

Final Chorus
Cindy cried over Pepper,
And everybody understood,
Sometimes the simplest Christmas present
Turns out better than you dreamed it could.
Red toenails and a thousand memories,
A little dog who got it right—
Pepper became part of the family,
And stayed there for a lifetime.

Outro
Black and white, with toenails red,
Christmas memories never end.
We called her Pepper from that day—
But Cindy called her best friend.