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2006 |
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1. | Lost Train Blues |
2. | Railroad Blues |
3. | Old Joe Clark/Beaumont Rad |
4. | |
5. | Boll Weevil Song |
6. | |
7. | |
8. | |
9. | Hard Times |
10. | |
11. | They Laid Jesus Christ in His Grave |
12. | Jolly Banker |
13. | |
14. | Dirty Overalls |
15. | Chain Aound My Leg |
16. | |
17. | |
18. | |
19. | |
20. | |
21. | California Blues |
22. | |
23. | Will Rogers Highway |
24. | Los Angeles New Year's Flood |
25. | The Great Dust Storm |
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1. | Talkin' Dust Bowl Blues |
2. | |
3. | Dusty Old Dust |
4. | |
5. | Blowin' Down This Road |
6. | |
7. | |
8. | |
9. | |
10. | |
11. | |
12. | |
13. | |
14. | Oregon Trail |
15. | |
16. | New Found Land |
17. | |
18. | |
19. | Columbia's Waters |
20. | Ramblin' Blues |
21. | |
22. | |
23. | |
24. | |
25. | Song of the Coulee Dam |
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1. | |
2. | Washington Talkin' Blues |
3. | |
4. | |
5. | |
6. | |
7. | |
8. | House of the Rising Sun |
9. | |
10. | The Dodger Song |
11. | Ida Red |
12. | Muleskinner Blues |
13. | What Are We Waiting On? |
14. | |
15. | |
16. | |
17. | |
18. | |
19. | Chisholm Trail |
20. | |
21. | |
22. | |
23. | |
24. | |
25. | |
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1. | |
2. | |
3. | |
4. | |
5. | |
6. | |
7. | |
8. | Jesse James |
9. | |
10. | |
11. | |
12. | |
13. | |
14. | Go Tell Aunt Rhody |
15. | When The Yanks Go Marching In |
16. | Keep My Skillet Good & Greasy |
17. | |
18. | |
19. | Cowboy Waltz |
20. | Massacre |
21. | |
22. | |
23. | |
24. | New Found Land |
25. | |
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Old Joe Clark/Beaumont Rad |
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Greenback Dollar
I don't want your greenback dollar
I don't want your silver change
All I want is your love darling
Won't you take me back again
Once you was my fond affection
And you thought this world of me
Then you left me for another
In my grave I'd rather be
I don't want no greenback dollar
I don't want your silver change
All I wants your pretty little daughter
Won't you take me back again
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I got the news that the war had begun
It was straight for the Army Hall that I run
And all of the people in my home town
Was a running up and a running down
Singing:
So long, it's been good to know you
So long, it's been good to know you
So long, it's been good to know you
There's a mighty big war that's got to be won
And we'll get back together again.
The crowd was packed by the railroad track
People was yelling and patting my back
And while the engineer rung his bell
I hugged all the mothers and kissed all the gals,
Singing:
So long, it's been good to know you
So long, it's been good to know you
So long, it's been good to know you
There's a mighty big war that's got to be won
And we'll get back together again
I got to the camp and I learnt how to fight
Fascists in daytime, mosquitoes at night
I got my orders to cross o'er the sea
So I waved "goodbye" to the girls I could see,
Singing:
So long, it's been good to know you
So long, it's been good to know you
So long, it's been good to know you
There's a mighty big war that's got to be won
And we'll get back together again
I got on a boat and I started to float
My old pack-sack and my big wool coat
With ten thousand men we rode the foam
And sung this song to the people back home:
So long, it's been good to know you
So long, it's been good to know you
So long, it's been good to know you
There's a mighty big war that's got to be won
And we'll get back together again
I landed somewhere on a fighting shore
With ten million soldiers and ten million more
And while we were chasing that Super Race
We sung this song in the chase.
It was:
So long, it's been good to know you
So long, it's been good to know you
So long, it's been good to know you
There's a mighty big war that's got to be won
And we'll get back together again
So it won't be long till the fascists are gone
And all of their likes are finished and done
We'll throw the clods of dirt in their face
And walk away from that lonesome place
Singing:
So long, it's been good to know you
So long, it's been good to know you
So long, it's been good to know you
There's a mighty big war that's got to be won
And we'll get back together again
. . .
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Back in Nineteen Twenty-Seven,
I had a little farm and I called that heaven.
Well, the prices up and the rain come down,
And I hauled my crops all into town --
I got the money, bought clothes and groceries,
Fed the kids, and raised a family.
Rain quit and the wind got high,
And the black ol' dust storm filled the sky.
And I swapped my farm for a Ford machine,
And I poured it full of this gas-i-line --
And I started, rockin' an' a-rollin',
Over the mountains, out towards the old Peach Bowl.
Way up yonder on a mountain road,
I had a hot motor and a heavy load,
I's a-goin' pretty fast, there wasn't even stoppin',
A-bouncin' up and down, like popcorn poppin' --
Had a breakdown, sort of a nervous bustdown of some kind,
There was a feller there, a mechanic feller,
Said it was en-gine trouble.
Way up yonder on a mountain curve,
It's way up yonder in the piney wood,
An' I give that rollin' Ford a shove,
An' I's a-gonna coast as far as I could --
Commence coastin', pickin' up speed,
Was a hairpin turn, I didn't make it.
Man alive, I'm a-tellin' you,
The fiddles and the guitars really flew.
That Ford took off like a flying squirrel
An' it flew halfway around the world --
Scattered wives and childrens
All over the side of that mountain.
We got out to the West Coast broke,
So dad-gum hungry I thought I'd croak,
An' I bummed up a spud or two,
An' my wife fixed up a tater stew --
We poured the kids full of it,
Mighty thin stew, though,
You could read a magazine right through it.
Always have figured
That if it'd been just a little bit thinner,
Some of these here politicians
Coulda seen through it.
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Lots of folks back East, they say, is leavin' home every day,
Beatin' the hot old dusty way to the California line.
'Cross the desert sands they roll, gettin' out of that old dust bowl,
They think they're goin' to a sugar bowl, but here's what they find
Now, the police at the port of entry say,
"You're number fourteen thousand for today."
Oh, if you ain't got the do re mi, folks, you ain't got the do re mi,
Why, you better go back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee.
California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see;
But believe it or not, you won't find it so hot
If you ain't got the do re mi.
You want to buy you a home or a farm, that can't deal nobody harm,
Or take your vacation by the mountains or sea.
Don't swap your old cow for a car, you better stay right where you are,
Better take this little tip from me.
'Cause I look through the want ads every day
But the headlines on the papers always say:
If you ain't got the do re mi, boys, you ain't got the do re mi,
Why, you better go back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee.
California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see;
But believe it or not, you won't find it so hot
If you ain't got the do re mi.
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If you'll gather 'round me, children,
A story I will tell
'Bout Pretty Boy Floyd, an outlaw,
Oklahoma knew him well.
It was in the town of Shawnee,
A Saturday afternoon,
His wife beside him in his wagon
As into town they rode.
There a deputy sheriff approached him
In a manner rather rude,
Vulgar words of anger,
An' his wife she overheard.
Pretty Boy grabbed a log chain,
And the deputy grabbed his gun;
In the fight that followed
He laid that deputy down.
Then he took to the trees and timber
To live a life of shame;
Every crime in Oklahoma
Was added to his name.
But a many a starving farmer
The same old story told
How the outlaw paid their mortgage
And saved their little homes.
Others tell you 'bout a stranger
That come to beg a meal,
Underneath his napkin
Left a thousand dollar bill.
It was in Oklahoma City,
It was on a Christmas Day,
There was a whole car load of groceries
Come with a note to say:
Well, you say that I'm an outlaw,
You say that I'm a thief.
Here's a Christmas dinner
For the families on relief.
Yes, as through this world I've wandered
I've seen lots of funny men;
Some will rob you with a six-gun,
And some with a fountain pen.
And as through your life you travel,
Yes, as through your life you roam,
You won't never see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home.
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They Laid Jesus Christ in His Grave |
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I ain't got no home, I'm just a-roamin' 'round,
Just a wandrin' worker, I go from town to town.
And the police make it hard wherever I may go
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
My brothers and my sisters are stranded on this road,
A hot and dusty road that a million feet have trod;
Rich man took my home and drove me from my door
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
Was a-farmin' on the shares, and always I was poor;
My crops I lay into the banker's store.
My wife took down and died upon the cabin floor,
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
I mined in your mines and I gathered in your corn
I been working, mister, since the day I was born
Now I worry all the time like I never did before
'Cause I ain't got no home in this world anymore
Now as I look around, it's mighty plain to see
This world is such a great and a funny place to be;
Oh, the gamblin' man is rich an' the workin' man is poor,
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
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I went across the river
I lay down to sleep
I went across the river
I lay down to sleep
When I woke up
Had shackles on my feet
It takes a worried man
To sing a worried song
It takes a worried man
To sing a worried song
I'm worried now
But I won't be worried long
Twenty-one links
Of chain around my leg
Twenty-one links
Of chain around my leg
And on each link
'S an initial of my name
I asked that judge
What's gonna be my fine
I asked that judge
What's gonna be my fine
Twenty-one years
On the Rocky Mountain line
That train pulled out
Twenty-one coaches long
That train pulled out
Twenty-one coaches long
And the woman I love
Is on that train and gone
Twenty-one years
Pay my awful crime
Twenty-one years
Pay my awful crime
Tweny-one years
And I still got ninety-nine
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I'm blowin' down this old dusty road,
I'm a-blowin' down this old dusty road,
I'm a-blowin' down this old dusty road, Lord, Lord,
An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this a-way.
I'm a-goin' where the water taste like wine,
I'm a-goin' where the water taste like wine,
I'm a-goin' where the water taste like wine, Lord,
An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way.
I'm a-goin' where the dust storms never blow,
I'm a-goin' where them dust storms never blow,
I'm a-goin' where them dust storms never blow, blow, blow,
An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way.
They say I'm a dust bowl refugee,
Yes, they say I'm a dust bowl refugee,
They say I'm a dust bowl refugee, Lord, Lord,
An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way.
I'm a-lookin' for a job at honest pay,
I'm a-lookin' for a job at honest pay,
I'm a-lookin' for a job at honest pay, Lord, Lord,
An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way.
My children need three square meals a day,
Now, my children need three square meals a day,
My children need three square meals a day, Lord,
An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way.
It takes a ten-dollar shoe to fit my feet,
It takes a ten-dollar shoe to fit my feet,
It takes a ten-dollar shoe to fit my feet, Lord, Lord,
An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way.
Your a-two-dollar shoe hurts my feet,
Your two-dollar shoe hurts my feet,
Yes, your two-dollar shoe hurts my feet, Lord, Lord,
An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way.
I'm a-goin' down this old dusty road,
I'm blowin' down this old dusty road,
I'm a-blowin' down this old dusty road, Lord, Lord,
An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way.
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(The Great Dust Storm)
On the 14th day of April of 1935,
There struck the worst of dust storms that ever filled the sky.
You could see that dust storm comin', the cloud looked deathlike black,
And through our mighty nation, it left a dreadful track.
From Oklahoma City to the Arizona line,
Dakota and Nebraska to the lazy Rio Grande,
It fell across our city like a curtain of black rolled down,
We thought it was our judgement, we thought it was our doom.
The radio reported, we listened with alarm,
The wild and windy actions of this great mysterious storm;
From Albuquerque and Clovis, and all New Mexico,
They said it was the blackest that ever they had saw.
From old Dodge City, Kansas, the dust had rung their knell,
And a few more comrades sleeping on top of old Boot Hill.
From Denver, Colorado, they said it blew so strong,
They thought that they could hold out, but they didn't know how long.
Our relatives were huddled into their oil boom shacks,
And the children they was cryin' as it whistled through the cracks.
And the family it was crowded into their little room,
They thought the world had ended, and they thought it was their doom.
The storm took place at sundown, it lasted through the night,
When we looked out next morning, we saw a terrible sight.
We saw outside our window where wheat fields they had grown
Was now a rippling ocean of dust the wind had blown.
It covered up our fences, it covered up our barns,
It covered up our tractors in this wild and dusty storm.
We loaded our jalopies and piled our families in,
We rattled down that highway to never come back again.
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If I was on some foggy mountain top
Tell you what I'd do
Sing this song to the whole wide world
And the little gal I love so true
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I got that dust pneumony, pneumony in my lung,
I got the dust pneumony, pneumony in my lung,
An' I'm a-gonna sing this dust pneumony song.
I went to the doctor, and the doctor, said, "My son,"
I went to the doctor, and the doctor, said, "My son,
You got that dust pneumony an' you ain't got long, not long."
Now there ought to be some yodelin' in this song;
Yeah, there ought to be some yodelin' in this song;
But I can't yodel for the rattlin' in my lung.
My good gal sings the dust pneumony blues,
My good gal sings the dust pneumony blues,
She loves me 'cause she's got the dust pneumony, too.
It it wasn't for choppin' my hoe would turn to rust,
If it wasn't for choppin' my hoe would turn to rust,
I can't find a woman in this black ol' Texas dust.
Down in Oklahoma, the wind blows mighty strong,
Down in Oklahoma, the wind blows mighty strong,
If you want to get a mama, just sing a California song.
Down in Texas, my gal fainted in the rain,
Down in Texas, my gal fainted in the rain,
I throwed a bucket o' dirt in her face just to bring her back again.
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I'm a dust bowl refugee,
Just a dust bowl refugee,
From that dust bowl to the peach bowl,
Now that peach fuzz is a-killin' me.
'Cross the mountains to the sea,
Come the wife and kids and me.
It's a hot old dusty highway
For a dust bowl refugee.
Hard, it's always been that way,
Here today and on our way
Down that mountain, 'cross the desert,
Just a dust bowl refugee.
We are ramblers, so they say,
We are only here today,
Then we travel with the seasons,
We're the dust bowl refugees.
From the south land and the drought land,
Come the wife and kids and me,
And this old world is a hard world
For a dust bowl refugee.
Yes, we ramble and we roam
And the highway that's our home,
It's a never-ending highway
For a dust bowl refugee.
Yes, we wander and we work
In your crops and in your fruit,
Like the whirlwinds on the desert
That's the dust bowl refugees.
I'm a dust bowl refugee,
I'm a dust bowl refugee,
And I wonder will I always
Be a dust bowl refugee?
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Los Angeles New Year's Flood |
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If you'll gather 'round me, children,
A story I will tell
'Bout Pretty Boy Floyd, an outlaw,
Oklahoma knew him well.
It was in the town of Shawnee,
A Saturday afternoon,
His wife beside him in his wagon
As into town they rode.
There a deputy sheriff approached him
In a manner rather rude,
Vulgar words of anger,
An' his wife she overheard.
Pretty Boy grabbed a log chain,
And the deputy grabbed his gun;
In the fight that followed
He laid that deputy down.
Then he took to the trees and timber
To live a life of shame;
Every crime in Oklahoma
Was added to his name.
But a many a starving farmer
The same old story told
How the outlaw paid their mortgage
And saved their little homes.
Others tell you 'bout a stranger
That come to beg a meal,
Underneath his napkin
Left a thousand dollar bill.
It was in Oklahoma City,
It was on a Christmas Day,
There was a whole car load of groceries
Come with a note to say:
Well, you say that I'm an outlaw,
You say that I'm a thief.
Here's a Christmas dinner
For the families on relief.
Yes, as through this world I've wandered
I've seen lots of funny men;
Some will rob you with a six-gun,
And some with a fountain pen.
And as through your life you travel,
Yes, as through your life you roam,
You won't never see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home.
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I just blowed in, and I got them dust bowl blues,
I just blowed in, and I got them dust bowl blues,
I just blowed in, and I'll blow back out again.
I guess you've heard about ev'ry kind of blues,
I guess you've heard about ev'ry kind of blues,
But when the dust gets high, you can't even see the sky.
I've seen the dust so black that I couldn't see a thing,
I've seen the dust so black that I couldn't see a thing,
And the wind so cold, boy, it nearly cut your water off.
I seen the wind so high that it blowed my fences down,
I've seen the wind so high that it blowed my fences down,
Buried my tractor six feet underground.
Well, it turned my farm into a pile of sand,
Yes, it turned my farm into a pile of sand,
I had to hit that road with a bottle in my hand.
I spent ten years down in that old dust bowl,
I spent ten years down in that old dust bowl,
When you get that dust pneumony, boy, it's time to go.
I had a gal, and she was young and sweet,
I had a gal, and she was young and sweet,
But a dust storm buried her sixteen hundred feet.
She was a good gal, long, tall and stout,
Yes, she was a good gal, long, tall and stout,
I had to get a steam shovel just to dig my darlin' out.
These dusty blues are the dustiest ones I know,
These dusty blues are the dustiest ones I know,
Buried head over heels in the black old dust,
I had to pack up and go.
An' I just blowed in, an' I'll soon blow out again.
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Tom Joad got out of the old McAlester Pen;
There he got his parole.
After four long years on a man killing charge,
Tom Joad come a-walkin' down the road, poor boy,
Tom Joad come a-walkin' down the road.
Tom Joad, he met a truck driving man;
There he caught him a ride.
He said, "I just got loose from McAlester Pen
On a charge called homicide,
A charge called homicide."
That truck rolled away in a cloud of dust;
Tommy turned his face toward home.
He met Preacher Casey, and they had a little drink,
But they found that his family they was gone,
He found that his family they was gone.
He found his mother's old fashion shoe,
Found his daddy's hat.
And he found little Muley and Muley said,
"They've been tractored out by the cats,
They've been tractored out by the cats."
Tom Joad walked down to the neighbor's farm,
Found his family.
They took Preacher Casey and loaded in a car,
And his mother said, "We've got to get away."
His mother said, "We've got to get away."
Now, the twelve of the Joads made a mighty heavy load;
But Grandpa Joad did cry.
He picked up a handful of land in his hand,
Said: "I'm stayin' with the farm till I die.
Yes, I'm stayin' with the farm till I die."
They fed him short ribs and coffee and soothing syrup;
And Grandpa Joad did die.
They buried Grandpa Joad by the side of the road,
Grandma on the California side,
They buried Grandma on the California side.
They stood on a mountain and they looked to the west,
And it looked like the promised land.
That bright green valley with a river running through,
There was work for every single hand, they thought,
There was work for every single hand.
The Joads rolled away to the jungle camp,
There they cooked a stew.
And the hungry little kids of the jungle camp
Said: "We'd like to have some, too."
Said: "We'd like to have some, too."
Now a deputy sheriff fired loose at a man,
Shot a woman in the back.
Before he could take his aim again,
Preacher Casey dropped him in his track, poor boy,
Preacher Casey dropped him in his track.
They handcuffed Casey and they took him in jail;
And then he got away.
And he met Tom Joad on the old river bridge,
And these few words he did say, poor boy,
These few words he did say.
"I preached for the Lord a mighty long time,
Preached about the rich and the poor.
Us workin' folkses, all get together,
'Cause we ain't got a chance anymore.
We ain't got a chance anymore."
Now, the deputies come, and Tom and Casey run
To the bridge where the water run down.
But the vigilante thugs hit Casey with a club,
They laid Preacher Casey on the ground, poor Casey,
They laid Preacher Casey on the ground.
Tom Joad, he grabbed that deputy's club,
Hit him over the head.
Tom Joad took flight in the dark rainy night,
And a deputy and a preacher lying dead, two men,
A deputy and a preacher lying dead.
Tom run back where his mother was asleep;
He woke her up out of bed.
An' he kissed goodbye to the mother that he loved,
Said what Preacher Casey said, Tom Joad,
He said what Preacher Casey said.
"Ever'body might be just one big soul,
Well it looks that a-way to me.
Everywhere that you look, in the day or night,
That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma,
That's where I'm a-gonna be.
Wherever little children are hungry and cry,
Wherever people ain't free.
Wherever men are fightin' for their rights,
That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma.
That's where I'm a-gonna be."
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Tom Joad got out of the old McAlester Pen;
There he got his parole.
After four long years on a man killing charge,
Tom Joad come a-walkin' down the road, poor boy,
Tom Joad come a-walkin' down the road.
Tom Joad, he met a truck driving man;
There he caught him a ride.
He said, "I just got loose from McAlester Pen
On a charge called homicide,
A charge called homicide."
That truck rolled away in a cloud of dust;
Tommy turned his face toward home.
He met Preacher Casey, and they had a little drink,
But they found that his family they was gone,
He found that his family they was gone.
He found his mother's old fashion shoe,
Found his daddy's hat.
And he found little Muley and Muley said,
"They've been tractored out by the cats,
They've been tractored out by the cats."
Tom Joad walked down to the neighbor's farm,
Found his family.
They took Preacher Casey and loaded in a car,
And his mother said, "We've got to get away."
His mother said, "We've got to get away."
Now, the twelve of the Joads made a mighty heavy load;
But Grandpa Joad did cry.
He picked up a handful of land in his hand,
Said: "I'm stayin' with the farm till I die.
Yes, I'm stayin' with the farm till I die."
They fed him short ribs and coffee and soothing syrup;
And Grandpa Joad did die.
They buried Grandpa Joad by the side of the road,
Grandma on the California side,
They buried Grandma on the California side.
They stood on a mountain and they looked to the west,
And it looked like the promised land.
That bright green valley with a river running through,
There was work for every single hand, they thought,
There was work for every single hand.
The Joads rolled away to the jungle camp,
There they cooked a stew.
And the hungry little kids of the jungle camp
Said: "We'd like to have some, too."
Said: "We'd like to have some, too."
Now a deputy sheriff fired loose at a man,
Shot a woman in the back.
Before he could take his aim again,
Preacher Casey dropped him in his track, poor boy,
Preacher Casey dropped him in his track.
They handcuffed Casey and they took him in jail;
And then he got away.
And he met Tom Joad on the old river bridge,
And these few words he did say, poor boy,
These few words he did say.
"I preached for the Lord a mighty long time,
Preached about the rich and the poor.
Us workin' folkses, all get together,
'Cause we ain't got a chance anymore.
We ain't got a chance anymore."
Now, the deputies come, and Tom and Casey run
To the bridge where the water run down.
But the vigilante thugs hit Casey with a club,
They laid Preacher Casey on the ground, poor Casey,
They laid Preacher Casey on the ground.
Tom Joad, he grabbed that deputy's club,
Hit him over the head.
Tom Joad took flight in the dark rainy night,
And a deputy and a preacher lying dead, two men,
A deputy and a preacher lying dead.
Tom run back where his mother was asleep;
He woke her up out of bed.
An' he kissed goodbye to the mother that he loved,
Said what Preacher Casey said, Tom Joad,
He said what Preacher Casey said.
"Ever'body might be just one big soul,
Well it looks that a-way to me.
Everywhere that you look, in the day or night,
That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma,
That's where I'm a-gonna be.
Wherever little children are hungry and cry,
Wherever people ain't free.
Wherever men are fightin' for their rights,
That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma.
That's where I'm a-gonna be."
. . .
|
|
Lots of folks back East, they say, is leavin' home every day,
Beatin' the hot old dusty way to the California line.
'Cross the desert sands they roll, gettin' out of that old dust bowl,
They think they're goin' to a sugar bowl, but here's what they find
Now, the police at the port of entry say,
"You're number fourteen thousand for today."
Oh, if you ain't got the do re mi, folks, you ain't got the do re mi,
Why, you better go back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee.
California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see;
But believe it or not, you won't find it so hot
If you ain't got the do re mi.
You want to buy you a home or a farm, that can't deal nobody harm,
Or take your vacation by the mountains or sea.
Don't swap your old cow for a car, you better stay right where you are,
Better take this little tip from me.
'Cause I look through the want ads every day
But the headlines on the papers always say:
If you ain't got the do re mi, boys, you ain't got the do re mi,
Why, you better go back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee.
California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see;
But believe it or not, you won't find it so hot
If you ain't got the do re mi.
. . .
|
|
I'm a dust bowl refugee,
Just a dust bowl refugee,
From that dust bowl to the peach bowl,
Now that peach fuzz is a-killin' me.
'Cross the mountains to the sea,
Come the wife and kids and me.
It's a hot old dusty highway
For a dust bowl refugee.
Hard, it's always been that way,
Here today and on our way
Down that mountain, 'cross the desert,
Just a dust bowl refugee.
We are ramblers, so they say,
We are only here today,
Then we travel with the seasons,
We're the dust bowl refugees.
From the south land and the drought land,
Come the wife and kids and me,
And this old world is a hard world
For a dust bowl refugee.
Yes, we ramble and we roam
And the highway that's our home,
It's a never-ending highway
For a dust bowl refugee.
Yes, we wander and we work
In your crops and in your fruit,
Like the whirlwinds on the desert
That's the dust bowl refugees.
I'm a dust bowl refugee,
I'm a dust bowl refugee,
And I wonder will I always
Be a dust bowl refugee?
. . .
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|
I ain't got no home, I'm just a-roamin' 'round,
Just a wandrin' worker, I go from town to town.
And the police make it hard wherever I may go
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
My brothers and my sisters are stranded on this road,
A hot and dusty road that a million feet have trod;
Rich man took my home and drove me from my door
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
Was a-farmin' on the shares, and always I was poor;
My crops I lay into the banker's store.
My wife took down and died upon the cabin floor,
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
I mined in your mines and I gathered in your corn
I been working, mister, since the day I was born
Now I worry all the time like I never did before
'Cause I ain't got no home in this world anymore
Now as I look around, it's mighty plain to see
This world is such a great and a funny place to be;
Oh, the gamblin' man is rich an' the workin' man is poor,
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
. . .
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|
Have you seen that vigilante man?
Have you seen that vigilante man?
Have you seen that vigilante man?
I been hearin' his name all over the land.
Well, what is a vigilante man?
Tell me, what is a vigilante man?
Has he got a gun and a club in his hand?
Is that is a vigilante man?
Rainy night down in the engine house,
Sleepin' just as still as a mouse,
Man come along an' he chased us out in the rain.
Was that a vigilante man?
Stormy days we passed the time away,
Sleepin' in some good warm place.
Man come along an' we give him a little race.
Was that a vigilante man?
Preacher Casey was just a workin' man,
And he said, "Unite all you working men."
Killed him in the river some strange man.
Was that a vigilante man?
Oh, why does a vigilante man,
Why does a vigilante man
Carry that sawed-off shot-gun in his hand?
Would he shoot his brother and sister down?
I rambled 'round from town to town,
I rambled 'round from town to town,
And they herded us around like a wild herd of cattle.
Was that the vigilante men?
Have you seen that vigilante man?
Have you seen that vigilante man?
I've heard his name all over this land.
. . .
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That old dust storm killed my baby,
But it can't kill me, Lord
And it can't kill me.
That old dust storm killed my family,
But it can't kill me, Lord
And it can't kill me.
That old landlord got my homestead,
But he can't get me, Lord,
And he can't get me.
That old dry spell killed my crop, boys,
But it can't kill me, Lord
And it can't kill me.
That old tractor got my home, boys,
But it can't get me, Lord
And it can't get me.
That old tractor run my house down,
But it can't get me down,
And it can't get me.
That old pawn shop got my furniture,
But it can't get me, Lord,
And it can't get me.
That old highway's got my relatives,
But it can't get me, Lord,
And it can't get me.
That old dust might kill my wheat, boys,
But it can't kill me, Lord
And it can't kill me.
I have weathered a-many a dust storm,
But it can't get me, boys,
And it can't kill me.
That old dust storm, well, it blowed my barn down,
But it can't blow me down,
And it can't blow me down.
That old wind might blow this world down,
But it can't blow me down,
It can't kill me.
That old dust storm's killed my baby,
But it can't kill me, Lord
And it can't kill me.
. . .
|
|
I got that dust pneumony, pneumony in my lung,
I got the dust pneumony, pneumony in my lung,
An' I'm a-gonna sing this dust pneumony song.
I went to the doctor, and the doctor, said, "My son,"
I went to the doctor, and the doctor, said, "My son,
You got that dust pneumony an' you ain't got long, not long."
Now there ought to be some yodelin' in this song;
Yeah, there ought to be some yodelin' in this song;
But I can't yodel for the rattlin' in my lung.
My good gal sings the dust pneumony blues,
My good gal sings the dust pneumony blues,
She loves me 'cause she's got the dust pneumony, too.
It it wasn't for choppin' my hoe would turn to rust,
If it wasn't for choppin' my hoe would turn to rust,
I can't find a woman in this black ol' Texas dust.
Down in Oklahoma, the wind blows mighty strong,
Down in Oklahoma, the wind blows mighty strong,
If you want to get a mama, just sing a California song.
Down in Texas, my gal fainted in the rain,
Down in Texas, my gal fainted in the rain,
I throwed a bucket o' dirt in her face just to bring her back again.
. . .
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. . .
|
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Well, the world has seven wonders that the trav'lers always tell,
Some gardens and some towers, I guess you know them well,
But now the greatest wonder is in Uncle Sam's fair lang,
It's the big Columbia River and the big Grand Coulee Dam.
She heads up the Canadian Rockies where the rippling waters glide,
Comes a-roaring down the canyon to meet the salty tide,
Of the wide Pacific Ocean where the sun sets in the West
And the big Grand Coulee country in the land I love the best.
In the misty crystal glitter of that wild and wind ward spray,
Men have fought the pounding waters and met a watery grave,
Well, she tore their boats to splinters but she gave men dreams to dream
Of the day the Coulee Dam would cross that wild and wasted stream.
Uncle Sam took up the challenge in the year of 'thrity-three,
For the farmer and the factory and all of you and me,
He said, "Roll along, Columbia, you can ramble to the sea,
But river, while you're rambling, you can do some work for me."
Now in Washington and Oregon you can hear the factories hum,
Making chrome and making manganese and light aluminum,
And there roars the flying fortress now to fight for Uncle Sam,
Spawned upon the King Columbia by the big Grand Coulee Dam.
. . .
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. . .
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Well, down along the river just a-sittin' on a rock
I'm a-lookin' at the boats in the Bonneville lock.
Gate swings open, the boat sails in,
Toot that whistle, she's gone again.
Gasoline goin' up. Wheat comin' down.
Well, I filled up my hat brim, drunk a little taste,
Thought about a river just a-goin' to waste;
Thought about the dust, an' thought about the sand,
Thought about the people, an' thought about the land.
Folks runnin' round all over creation,
Lookin' for some kind of little place.
Well, I pulled out my pencil, scribbled this song,
Figured all them salmon just couldn't be wrong;
Them salmon fish is mighty shrewd,
They got senators and politicians, too.
Just about like the president. They run every four years.
You just watch this river, though, pretty soon
Everybody's gonna be changin' their tune;
The big Grand Coulee and the Bonneville dams
Run a thousand factories for Uncle Sam.
And everybody else in the world. Turnin' out
Everything from fertilizers to sewing machines,
And atomic bedrooms and plastic --
Everything's gonna be plastic.
Uncle Sam need houses and stuff to eat,
Uncle Sam needs wool, and Uncle Sam needs wheat,
Uncle Sam needs water and power dams,
Uncle Sam needs people, and the people need land.
'Course I don't like dictators none myself,
but then I think the whole country had ought to be run by
e-lec-trici-ty.
. . .
|
|
Well, the world has seven wonders that the trav'lers always tell,
Some gardens and some towers, I guess you know them well,
But now the greatest wonder is in Uncle Sam's fair lang,
It's the big Columbia River and the big Grand Coulee Dam.
She heads up the Canadian Rockies where the rippling waters glide,
Comes a-roaring down the canyon to meet the salty tide,
Of the wide Pacific Ocean where the sun sets in the West
And the big Grand Coulee country in the land I love the best.
In the misty crystal glitter of that wild and wind ward spray,
Men have fought the pounding waters and met a watery grave,
Well, she tore their boats to splinters but she gave men dreams to dream
Of the day the Coulee Dam would cross that wild and wasted stream.
Uncle Sam took up the challenge in the year of 'thrity-three,
For the farmer and the factory and all of you and me,
He said, "Roll along, Columbia, you can ramble to the sea,
But river, while you're rambling, you can do some work for me."
Now in Washington and Oregon you can hear the factories hum,
Making chrome and making manganese and light aluminum,
And there roars the flying fortress now to fight for Uncle Sam,
Spawned upon the King Columbia by the big Grand Coulee Dam.
. . .
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. . .
|
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. . .
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I went across the river
I lay down to sleep
I went across the river
I lay down to sleep
When I woke up
Had shackles on my feet
It takes a worried man
To sing a worried song
It takes a worried man
To sing a worried song
I'm worried now
But I won't be worried long
Twenty-one links
Of chain around my leg
Twenty-one links
Of chain around my leg
And on each link
'S an initial of my name
I asked that judge
What's gonna be my fine
I asked that judge
What's gonna be my fine
Twenty-one years
On the Rocky Mountain line
That train pulled out
Twenty-one coaches long
That train pulled out
Twenty-one coaches long
And the woman I love
Is on that train and gone
Twenty-one years
Pay my awful crime
Twenty-one years
Pay my awful crime
Tweny-one years
And I still got ninety-nine
. . .
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I've been havin' some hard travelin', I thought you knowed
I've been havin' some hard travelin', way down the road
I've been havin' some hard travelin', hard ramblin', hard gamblin'
I've been havin' some hard travelin', lord
I've been ridin' them fast rattlers, I thought you knowed
I've been ridin' them flat wheelers, way down the road
I've been ridin' them blind passengers, dead-enders, kickin' up cinders
I've been havin' some hard travelin', lord
I've been hittin' some hard-rock minin', I thought you knowed
I've been leanin' on a pressure drill, way down the road
Hammer flyin', air-hole suckin', six foot of mud and I shore been a muckin'
And I've been hittin' some hard travelin', lord
I've been hittin' some hard harvestin', I thought you knowed
North Dakota to Kansas City, way down the road
Cuttin' that wheat, stackin' that hay, and I'm tryin' make about a dollar a day
And I've been havin' some hard travelin', lord
I've been working that Pittsburgh steel, I thought you knowed
I've been a dumpin' that red-hot slag, way down the road
I've been a blasting, I've been a firin', I've been a pourin' red-hot iron
I've been hittin' some hard travelin', lord
I've been layin' in a hard-rock jail, I thought you knowed
I've been a laying out 90 days, way down the road
Damned old judge, he said to me, "It's 90 days for vagrancy."
And I've been hittin' some hard travelin', lord
I've been walking that Lincoln highway, I thought you knowed,
I've been hittin' that 66, way down the road
Heavy load and a worried mind, lookin' for a woman that's hard to find,
I've been hittin' some hard travelin', lord
. . .
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(The Great Historical Bum)
I'm just a lonesome traveler, The Great Historical Bum.
Highly educated from history I have come.
I built the Rock of Ages, 'twas in the Year of One
And that was about the biggest thing that man had ever done.
I worked in the Garden of Eden, that was the year of two,
Joined the apple pickers union, I always paid my due;
I'm the man that signed the contract to raise the rising sun,
And that was about the biggest thing that man had ever done.
I was straw boss on the Pyramids, the Tower of Babel, too;
I opened up the ocean let the migrant children through,
I fought a million battles and I never lost a one,
And that was about the biggest thing that man had ever done.
I beat the daring Roman, I beat the daring Turk,
Defeated Nero's army with thirty minutes work,
I fought the greatest leaders and I licked them everyone
And that was about the biggest thing that man had ever done.
I stopped old Caesar's Romans, and I stopped the Kubla Khan;
I took but half an hour's work to beat the Pharaoh's bands;
I knocked old Kaiser Bill flat, then I dumped the bloody Huns,
And that's about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I was in the Revolution when we set the country free;
Me and a couple of Indians that dumped the Boston tea;
We won the battle at Valley Forge, the battle of Bully Run;
And that was about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
Next, we won the slavery war, some other folks and me,
And every slave from sea to sea was all turned loose by me.
I divorced old Madam slavery, and I wed this freedom dame.
And that's about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
And then I took to farming on the great midwestern plain,
The dust it blowed a hundred years, but never come a rain'
Well, me and a million other fellas left there on the run
And that was about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I clumb the rocky canyon where the Columbia River rolls,
Seen the salmon leaping the rapids and the falls
The big Grand Coulee Dam in the state of Washington
Is just about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
There's a building in New York that you call the Empire State
I rode the rods to 'Frisco to walk the Golden Gate
I've seen every foot of film that Hollywood has run
But Coulee is the biggest thing that man has ever done.
Three times the size of Boulder or the highest pyramid
Makes the Tower of Babel a plaything for a kid
From the rising of the river to the setting of the sun
The Coulee is the biggest thing that man has ever done.
There was a man across the ocean, I guess you knew him well,
His name was Adolf Hitler, goddam his soul to hell;
We kicked him in the panzers and put him on the run,
And that was about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I'm living with my freedom wife in this big land we built;
It takes all forty eight States for me to spread my quilt.
Our kids are several millions now; they run from sun to sun.
And that's about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I built mines and mills and factories to run for Uncle Sam;
I turned th' ploughs and wheels to feed my soldiers in your lands;
This Nazi job's a tough 'un, it'll take us everyone,
'Cause this is about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
There's warehouse guys and teamsters and guys that skin the cats
Guys that run my steel mill, my furnace and my blast
We'll stop the Axis rattlesnakes and thieves of old Nippon
And that will be the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I'd better quit my talking, 'cause I told you all I know,
But please remember, pardner, wherever you may go,
The people are building a peaceful world, and when the job is done
That'll be the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I better quit my talking now; I told you all I know,
But please remember, pardner, wherever you may go,
I'm older than your old folks, and I'm younger than the young,
And I'm about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
. . .
|
|
Well, the world has seven wonders that the trav'lers always tell,
Some gardens and some towers, I guess you know them well,
But now the greatest wonder is in Uncle Sam's fair lang,
It's the big Columbia River and the big Grand Coulee Dam.
She heads up the Canadian Rockies where the rippling waters glide,
Comes a-roaring down the canyon to meet the salty tide,
Of the wide Pacific Ocean where the sun sets in the West
And the big Grand Coulee country in the land I love the best.
In the misty crystal glitter of that wild and wind ward spray,
Men have fought the pounding waters and met a watery grave,
Well, she tore their boats to splinters but she gave men dreams to dream
Of the day the Coulee Dam would cross that wild and wasted stream.
Uncle Sam took up the challenge in the year of 'thrity-three,
For the farmer and the factory and all of you and me,
He said, "Roll along, Columbia, you can ramble to the sea,
But river, while you're rambling, you can do some work for me."
Now in Washington and Oregon you can hear the factories hum,
Making chrome and making manganese and light aluminum,
And there roars the flying fortress now to fight for Uncle Sam,
Spawned upon the King Columbia by the big Grand Coulee Dam.
. . .
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. . .
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Jackhammer Jackhammer
Where you been
Been out chasin them
Gals again
Ho ho ho Well I got them
See my woman
When the sun goes down
Grab my hammer
And go to town
Yes Folks
I got them Jackhammer blues
Made every state in the
red white and blue
Looking for a jackhammer job to do
Rise easy
I got them
Jackhammer blues
Got a Jackhammer woman
Just as sweet as pie
Gonna
Hammer on the hammer
Till the day I die
Lord God have mercy
I got them
Jackhammer Blues
. . .
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. . .
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Ramblin' around your city
Ramblin' around your town
I never see a friend I know
As I go ramblin' around, boys
As I go ramblin' around
My sweetheart and my parents
I left in my old home town
I'm out to do the best I can
As I go ramblin' around, boys
As I go ramblin' around
The peach trees they are loaded,
The limbs are bending down,
I pick 'em all day for a dollar, boys
As I go ramblin' around
As I go ramblin' around
Sometimes the fruit gets rotten
Falls down on the ground
There's a hungry mouth for every peach
As I go ramblin' around, boys
As I go ramblin' around
I wish that I could marry
I wished I could settle down
But I cain't save a penny, boys
As I go ramblin' around
As I go ramblin' around
My mother prayed that I would be
A man of some renown
But I am just a refugee
As I go ramblin' around, boys
As I go ramblin' around
. . .
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It's a mighty hard row that my poor hands have hoed
My poor feet have traveled a hot dusty road
Out of your Dust Bowl and Westward we rolled
And your deserts were hot and your mountains were cold
I worked in your orchards of peaches and prunes
I slept on the ground in the light of the moon
On the edge of the city you'll see us and then
We come with the dust and we go with the wind
California, Arizona, I harvest your crops
Well its North up to Oregon to gather your hops
Dig the beets from your ground, cut the grapes from your vine
To set on your table your light sparkling wine
Green pastures of plenty from dry desert ground
From the Grand Coulee Dam where the waters run down
Every state in the Union us migrants have been
We'll work in this fight and we'll fight till we win
It's always we rambled, that river and I
All along your green valley, I will work till I die
My land I'll defend with my life if it be
Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free
. . .
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(The Great Historical Bum)
I'm just a lonesome traveler, The Great Historical Bum.
Highly educated from history I have come.
I built the Rock of Ages, 'twas in the Year of One
And that was about the biggest thing that man had ever done.
I worked in the Garden of Eden, that was the year of two,
Joined the apple pickers union, I always paid my due;
I'm the man that signed the contract to raise the rising sun,
And that was about the biggest thing that man had ever done.
I was straw boss on the Pyramids, the Tower of Babel, too;
I opened up the ocean let the migrant children through,
I fought a million battles and I never lost a one,
And that was about the biggest thing that man had ever done.
I beat the daring Roman, I beat the daring Turk,
Defeated Nero's army with thirty minutes work,
I fought the greatest leaders and I licked them everyone
And that was about the biggest thing that man had ever done.
I stopped old Caesar's Romans, and I stopped the Kubla Khan;
I took but half an hour's work to beat the Pharaoh's bands;
I knocked old Kaiser Bill flat, then I dumped the bloody Huns,
And that's about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I was in the Revolution when we set the country free;
Me and a couple of Indians that dumped the Boston tea;
We won the battle at Valley Forge, the battle of Bully Run;
And that was about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
Next, we won the slavery war, some other folks and me,
And every slave from sea to sea was all turned loose by me.
I divorced old Madam slavery, and I wed this freedom dame.
And that's about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
And then I took to farming on the great midwestern plain,
The dust it blowed a hundred years, but never come a rain'
Well, me and a million other fellas left there on the run
And that was about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I clumb the rocky canyon where the Columbia River rolls,
Seen the salmon leaping the rapids and the falls
The big Grand Coulee Dam in the state of Washington
Is just about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
There's a building in New York that you call the Empire State
I rode the rods to 'Frisco to walk the Golden Gate
I've seen every foot of film that Hollywood has run
But Coulee is the biggest thing that man has ever done.
Three times the size of Boulder or the highest pyramid
Makes the Tower of Babel a plaything for a kid
From the rising of the river to the setting of the sun
The Coulee is the biggest thing that man has ever done.
There was a man across the ocean, I guess you knew him well,
His name was Adolf Hitler, goddam his soul to hell;
We kicked him in the panzers and put him on the run,
And that was about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I'm living with my freedom wife in this big land we built;
It takes all forty eight States for me to spread my quilt.
Our kids are several millions now; they run from sun to sun.
And that's about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I built mines and mills and factories to run for Uncle Sam;
I turned th' ploughs and wheels to feed my soldiers in your lands;
This Nazi job's a tough 'un, it'll take us everyone,
'Cause this is about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
There's warehouse guys and teamsters and guys that skin the cats
Guys that run my steel mill, my furnace and my blast
We'll stop the Axis rattlesnakes and thieves of old Nippon
And that will be the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I'd better quit my talking, 'cause I told you all I know,
But please remember, pardner, wherever you may go,
The people are building a peaceful world, and when the job is done
That'll be the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I better quit my talking now; I told you all I know,
But please remember, pardner, wherever you may go,
I'm older than your old folks, and I'm younger than the young,
And I'm about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
. . .
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'Long about nineteen thirty-one,
My field boiled up in the boiling sun.
'Long about nineteen thirty-two,
Dust did rise and the dust it blew.
'Long about nineteen thirty-three,
Livin' in the dust was a killin' me.
'Long about nineteen thirty-four,
Dangburn dust it blew some more.
'Long about nineteen thirty-five,
Blowed my crops about nine miles high.
'Long about nineteen thirty-six,
Me and my wife in a devil of a fix.
'Long about nineteen thirty-nine
We fanned our tails for that Orgegon line.
We got a hold of a piece of land,
Thirteen miles from the Coulee dam.
Coulee dam is a sight to see,
Makes this e-lec-a-tric-i-tee
'Lectric lights is mighty fine,
If you're hooked on to the power line
There just ain't no country extra fine.
If you're just a mile from the end o' the line.
Milk my cows and turn my stone,
Till them Grand Coullee boys come along.
My eyes are crossed, my back's in a cramp,
Tryin' to read my bible by my coal-oil lamp.
No, there ain't no country worth a dime,
If I'm just a mile from the end o' the line.
. . .
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Ride around, little doggy, ride around them slow,
They're fiery and snuffy and rarin' to go
Ride around, little doggy, ride around them slow,
They're fiery and snuffy and rarin' to go
Old Bill Jones had a daughter and a son,
Son went to college, and the daughter went wrong
His wife got killed in a free-for-all fight
But still he keeps singing from morning 'til night
Ride around, little doggy, ride around them slow,
They're fiery and snuffy and rarin' to go
I'll ride the old Paint, lead the old Dan
Go to Montana to throw the houlihan,
I'll feed them in the coulees, water in the draw
Tails are all matted, their backs are all raw
Ride around, little doggy, ride around them slow,
They're fiery and snuffy and rarin' to go
I worked in the town, I worked on the farm
All I gotta show t'is this muscle in my arm
Blisters on my feet, callus on my hands
Goin' to Montana to throw the houlihan
Ride around, little doggy, ride around them slow,
They're fiery and snuffy and rarin' to go
. . .
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. . .
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Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard
To love one who never did love you
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard great god
To love one that never would be true
It was late last night when my true love came home
He was a-knockin' on my door
I got up in a fit of jealousy and I said
True love, don't come here anymore
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard
To love one who never did love you
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard great god
To love one that never would be true
The first time I seen my true love
He was a-knockin' at my door
The last time I seen his hard-hearted smile
He was lyin' dead on the floor
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard
To love one who never did love you
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard great god
To love one that never would be true
Don't go to drinkin' and gamblin'
Don't go there your sorrows to drown
This hard liquor place is a low-down disgrace
It's the meanest bad place in this town
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard
To love one who never did love you
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard great god
To love one that never would be true
. . .
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(My Daddy)
Well, a curly-headed girl with a bright shining smile
Heard the roar of a plane as it sailed through the sky
To her playmates she said, with a bright twinkling eye
My Daddy flies that ship in the sky
My Daddy flies that ship in the sky
My Daddy flies that ship in the sky
My Mama's not afraid and neither am I
'Cause my Daddy flies that ship in the sky
Then a button-nosed kid, as he kicked up his heels
He said, My Daddy works in the iron and the steel
My Dad builds the planes and they fly through the sky
And that's what keeps your daddy up there so high
That's what keeps your daddy up there so high
That's what keeps your daddy up there so high
My Dad builds the planes and they fly through the sky
And that's what keeps your daddy up there so high
Then a freckle-faced kid pinched his toe in the sand
He says, My Daddy works at that place where they land
You tell your mama, don't be afraid
My Dad'll bring your daddy back home again
My Dad'll bring your daddy back home again
My Dad'll bring your daddy back home again
Don't be afraid when it gets dark and rains
My Dad'll bring your daddy back home again
. . .
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(The Great Historical Bum)
I'm just a lonesome traveler, The Great Historical Bum.
Highly educated from history I have come.
I built the Rock of Ages, 'twas in the Year of One
And that was about the biggest thing that man had ever done.
I worked in the Garden of Eden, that was the year of two,
Joined the apple pickers union, I always paid my due;
I'm the man that signed the contract to raise the rising sun,
And that was about the biggest thing that man had ever done.
I was straw boss on the Pyramids, the Tower of Babel, too;
I opened up the ocean let the migrant children through,
I fought a million battles and I never lost a one,
And that was about the biggest thing that man had ever done.
I beat the daring Roman, I beat the daring Turk,
Defeated Nero's army with thirty minutes work,
I fought the greatest leaders and I licked them everyone
And that was about the biggest thing that man had ever done.
I stopped old Caesar's Romans, and I stopped the Kubla Khan;
I took but half an hour's work to beat the Pharaoh's bands;
I knocked old Kaiser Bill flat, then I dumped the bloody Huns,
And that's about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I was in the Revolution when we set the country free;
Me and a couple of Indians that dumped the Boston tea;
We won the battle at Valley Forge, the battle of Bully Run;
And that was about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
Next, we won the slavery war, some other folks and me,
And every slave from sea to sea was all turned loose by me.
I divorced old Madam slavery, and I wed this freedom dame.
And that's about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
And then I took to farming on the great midwestern plain,
The dust it blowed a hundred years, but never come a rain'
Well, me and a million other fellas left there on the run
And that was about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I clumb the rocky canyon where the Columbia River rolls,
Seen the salmon leaping the rapids and the falls
The big Grand Coulee Dam in the state of Washington
Is just about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
There's a building in New York that you call the Empire State
I rode the rods to 'Frisco to walk the Golden Gate
I've seen every foot of film that Hollywood has run
But Coulee is the biggest thing that man has ever done.
Three times the size of Boulder or the highest pyramid
Makes the Tower of Babel a plaything for a kid
From the rising of the river to the setting of the sun
The Coulee is the biggest thing that man has ever done.
There was a man across the ocean, I guess you knew him well,
His name was Adolf Hitler, goddam his soul to hell;
We kicked him in the panzers and put him on the run,
And that was about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I'm living with my freedom wife in this big land we built;
It takes all forty eight States for me to spread my quilt.
Our kids are several millions now; they run from sun to sun.
And that's about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I built mines and mills and factories to run for Uncle Sam;
I turned th' ploughs and wheels to feed my soldiers in your lands;
This Nazi job's a tough 'un, it'll take us everyone,
'Cause this is about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
There's warehouse guys and teamsters and guys that skin the cats
Guys that run my steel mill, my furnace and my blast
We'll stop the Axis rattlesnakes and thieves of old Nippon
And that will be the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I'd better quit my talking, 'cause I told you all I know,
But please remember, pardner, wherever you may go,
The people are building a peaceful world, and when the job is done
That'll be the biggest thing that man has ever done.
I better quit my talking now; I told you all I know,
But please remember, pardner, wherever you may go,
I'm older than your old folks, and I'm younger than the young,
And I'm about the biggest thing that man has ever done.
. . .
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(Talking Sailor)
In bed with my woman, just singin' the blues,
Heard the radio tellin' the news:
That the big Red Army took a hundred towns,
And Allies droppin' them two-ton bombs.
Started hollerin', yellin', dancin' up and down like a bullfrog!
Doorbell rung and in come a man,
I signed my name, I got a telegram.
Said, "If you wanna take a vacation trip,
Got a dish-washin' job on a Liberty ship."
Woman a-cryin', me a-flyin', out the door and down the line!
'Bout two minutes I run ten blocks,
I come to my ship, down at the dock;
Walked up the plank, and I signed my name,
Blowed that whistle, was gone again!
Right on out and down the stream, ships as fur as my eye could see, woman a-waitin'.
Ship loaded down with TNT
All out across the rollin' sea;
Stood on the deck, watched the fishes swim,
I'se a-prayin' them fish wasn't made out of tin.
Sharks, porpoises, jellybeans, rainbow trouts, mudcats, jugars, all over that water.
This convoy's the biggest I ever did see,
Stretches all the way out across the sea;
And the ships blow the whistles and a-rang her bells,
Gonna blow them fascists all to hell!
Win some freedom, liberty, stuff like that.
Walked to the tail, stood on the stern,
Lookin' at the big brass screw blade turn;
Listened to the sound of the engine pound,
Gained sixteen feet every time it went around.
Gettin' closer and closer, look out, you fascists.
I'm just one of the merchant crew,
I belong to the union called the N. M. U.
I'm a union man from head to toe,
I'm U. S. A. and C. I. O.
Fightin' out here on the waters to win some freedom on the land.
. . .
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I was standing down New York town one day
I was standing down in New York town one day
I was standing down in that New York town one day
Just singing "Hey hey hey hey"
I was broke and I didn't have a dime
I was broke and I didn't have a lousy dime
I was broke and I didn't have a dime
Every good man gets a little hard luck some time
Every good man gets a little hard luck some time
Every good man gets a little hard luck some time
Every good man gets a little hard luck some time
When he's down and out and ain't got a lousy dime
What you do woman, that sure don't worry me
What you do woman, Lord, that sure don't worry me
What you do woman, that sure don't worry me
I got more women than the Civil War set free
And I can get more women than a passenger train can haul
I can get more women than a passenger train can haul
I can get more women than a passenger train can haul
Just singing "Hey hey hey hey"
I'm gonna ride that new morning railroad
I'm gonna ride that new morning train
I'm gonna ride that new morning train
And I ain't a-comin' back to this man's town again
I ain't a-comin' back to this man's town again
No I ain't-a comin' back to this man's town again
I ain't comin' back to this man's town again
Just singing "Hey, hey hey hey"
Singing "Hey hey hey hey"
Just singing "Hey hey hey hey hey"
Singing "Hey hey hey hey hey"
Just singing "Hey hey hey hey"
. . .
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Who's gonna shoe your pretty little feet?
Who's gonna glove your hand?
Who's gonna kiss your red, ruby lips?
Who's gonna be your man?
Papa's gonna shoe my pretty little feet
Mama's gonna glove my hand
Sister's gonna kiss my red, ruby lips
I don't need no man
I don't need no man
I don't need no man
Sister's gonna kiss my red, ruby lips
I don't need no man
Fastest train I ever did ride
Was a hundred coaches long
And the only woman I ever did love
Was on that train and gone
On that train and gone, boys
On that train and gone
The only woman I ever did love
Was on that train and gone
Who's gonna shoe your pretty little feet?
Who's gonna glove your hand?
Who's gonna kiss your red, ruby lips?
Who's gonna be your man?
Papa's gonna shoe my pretty little feet
Mama's gonna glove my hand
Sister's gonna kiss my red, ruby lips
I don't need no man
I don't need no man
I don't need no man
Sister's gonna kiss my red, ruby lips
I don't need no man
. . .
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Sowing on the mountain, Reaping in the valley;
Sowing on the mountain, Reaping in the valley;
Sowing on the moun tain, Reaping in the valley,
You're gonna reap just what you sow.
God gave Noah the rainbow sign
God gave Noah the rainbow sign
God gave Noah the rainbow sign
It won't be water, but fire next time.
Won't be water, but fire next time
Won't be water, but fire next time
Won't be water, but fire next time
God gave Noah the rainbow sign.
. . .
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I just got my army call
And I run down to the army hall.
Sally come a-runnin' like a cannonball
And I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
I'm a-gonna cross that ocean wide
Army rifle by my side
When Hitler's beat you can be my bride
But I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me.
I'm a-gonna jump in a flyin' machine
A-loaded full of this-a TNT
Stop old Hitler what I mean
And I told her not to grieve after me.
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me
A souvenir I'll send to you
Send Hirohito and Hitler, too
That's about all one feller can do
But I told her not to grieve after me
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me
Sally, get a job and save your pay
Work your best for the U.S.A.
Write me a letter 'bout ever' day
And I told her not to grieve after me
Oh, it's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me
If a blackout comes to the old home town
Sally, won't you pull your curtains down
If a shade goes up and a ship goes down
I told her not to grieve after me
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me
Oh, it's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
It's-a when I'm gone, Sally, don't you grieve
And I told her not to grieve after me
. . .
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Way out in Reno, Nevada,
Where romance blooms and fades,
A great Philadelphia lawyer
Was in love with a Hollywood maid.
"Come, love, and we'll go ramblin'
Down where the lights are so bright.
I'll win you a divorce from your husband,
And we can get married tonight."
Wild Bill was a gun-totin' cowboy,
Ten notches were carved in his gun.
And all the boys around Reno
Left Wild Bill's maiden alone.
One night when Bill was returning
From ridin' the range in the cold,
He dreamed of his Hollywood sweetheart,
Her love was as lasting as gold.
As he drew near her window,
Two shadows he saw on the shade;
'Twas the great Philadelphia lawyer
Makin' love to Bill's Hollywood maid.
The night was as still as the desert,
The moon hangin' high overhead.
Bill listened awhile through the window,
He could hear ev'ry word that he said:
"Your hands are so pretty and lovely,
Your form's so rare and divine.
Come go with me to the city
And leave this wild cowboy behind."
Now tonight back in old Pennsylvania,
Among those beautiful pines,
There's one less Philadelphia lawyer
In old Philadelphia tonight.
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...breast
Who is gonna talk your future over
while I'm ramblin' in the west
At my window sad and lonely
often do i think of thee
and I wonder little darling
if you ever think of me
you will meet with many faces
some will tell you I'm not true
please remember little darling
no one loves you like I do
At my window sad and lonely
often do i think of thee
and I wonder little darling
if you ever think of me
At my window sad and lonely
often do i think of thee
and I wonder little darling
if you ever think of me
who's gonna hold you to that ... darling
who's gonna hold you to their breast
Who is gonna talk your future over
while I'm ramblin' in the west
At my window sad and lonely
often do i think of thee
and I wonder little darling
if you ever think of me
. . .
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I've gambled down in the town of Newport News
The more I gamble, boys, the more I lose
Baltimore to Washington
Oh Baltimore to Washington
Oh Baltimore to Washington
Oh Baltimore to Washington
I guess they got troubles too
Well the hobos know me up and down the line
They don't know the trouble on my mind
I guess they got troubles too
I guess they got troubles too, boys
I guess they got troubles too
I guess they got troubles too, boys
From Baltimore to Washington
And the police know me up and down the line
They don't know the trouble on my hands
I guess they got troubles too
I guess they got trouble too, boy
I guess they got troubles too
I guess the police they got their troubles too
From Baltimore to Washington
Oh Baltimore to Washington
Oh Baltimore to Washington
Oh Baltimore to Washington
I guess they've got troubles too
Going up north and goin north this fall
If my luck don't change I won't be back at all
From Baltimore to Washington
Oh Baltimore to Washington, boys
Baltimore to Washington
Baltimore to Washington
I guess they got troubles too
. . .
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Make me a bed right down on your floor
Make me a bed right down on your floor
I'll lay my head in a bed on your floor
I'm a poor lonesome boy
I'm a long way from home
I'm a poor lonesome boy
I'm a long way from home
I'll lay my head in a bed on your floor
The sheriff's on my trail with a big forty-four
The sheriff's on my trail with a big forty-four
I'll lay my head in a bed on your floor
Clock strikin' midnight and daylight to go
Clock strikin' midnight and daylight to go
I'll lay my head in a bed on your floor
Bed on the floor love bed on the floor
Make me a bed right down on your floor
I'll lay my head in a bed on your floor
. . .
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Well, the new sher'ff wrote me a letter,
Yes, the new sher'ff wrote me a letter:
Come up and see me dead or alive,
Come up and see me dead or alive.
Dead or alive it's a hard road; it's a hard road dead or alive.
Well, he even sent me my picture:
Yes, he even sent me my picture;
How do I look, boys, dead or alive?
How do I look, boys, dead or alive?
Dead or alive it's a hard road; it's a hard road dead or alive.
Well, he said he would pay expenses:
Yes, he said he would pay expenses;
Dead or alive, no thank!
New sheriff, I'm a poor boy
Dead or alive it's a hard road; it's a hard road dead or alive.
Well, he said he would feed and clothe me;
Yes, mhe said he would feed and clothe me;
Dead or alive, no thanks!
New sheriff, I'm a poor boy
Dead or alive it's a hard road; it's a hard road dead or alive.
Well, I'm sorry I can't come, sheriff;
Yes, I'm sorry but I can't come, sheriff;
Dead or alive, no thanks!
New sheriff, I'm a poor boy
Dead or alive it's a hard road; it's a hard road dead or alive.
I don't like your hard-rock hotel;
I don't like your hard-rock hotel;
Dead or alive, new sheriff
No thanks, I'm a poor boy
Dead or alive it's a hard road; it's a hard road dead or alive.
I gotta go down and see my little sweet thing;
Gonna go down and see my little sweet thing;
Dead or alive, yes, Lord!
No thanks, new sheriff.
Dead or alive it's a hard road; it's a hard road dead or alive.
. . .
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I'll sing you a true song of Billy the Kid
I'll sing of the desperate deeds that he did
Way out in New Mexico, long long ago
When a man's only chance was his own 44
When Billy, the kid was a very young lad
In the old Silver City, he went to the bad
Way out in the West with a gun in his hand
At the age of twelve years, he first killed his man
Fair Mexican maidens play guitars and sing
A song about Billy, the boy bandit king
How ere his young manhood had reached its sad end
He'd a notch on his pistol for twenty-one men
'Twas on the same night when poor Billy died
He said to his friends, "I am not satisfied
There are twenty-one men I have put bullets through
And sheriff Pat Garrett must make twenty-two"
Now this is how Billy, the kid met his fate
The bright moon was shining, the hour was late
Shot down by Pat Garrett who once was his friend
The young outlaw's life had now come to its end
There's many a man with a face fine and fair
Who starts out in life with a chance to be square
But just like poor Billy, he wanders astray
And loses his life in the very same way
. . .
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The end of the summer, down in New Orleans
Should've called, got caught up in the scene
Ain't nothin' wrong, ain't a damn thing right
Gonna be comin' home but baby, not tonight
The reason I'm stayin' is everything's swayin'
It feels too good to leave
Pay all the bullshit, send me the receipts
I don't know where I'll be
The bayou's callin', the gypsy's out tonight
French Quarter lamps are burnin'
Lamps are burning bright
Now I'm the kind of man
That will throw caution to the wind, all night long
I'll be here 'til the end
The caravan awaits me in a place within my mind
Wish you could be here, i guess another time ,oh another time
Whoo, hoo, yeah, yeah, ain't life grand
All the pushin', and huggin', and pushin', and tuggin'
And whoo, hoo, yeah, yeah, ain't life grand
All the pissin' and moanin', and jerkin' me off
I said whoo, hoo, yeah, yeah, ain't life grand
Oh, ain't life grand
Ohh whoo, hoo, yeah, yeah, ain't life grand
All the drinkin', and takin', and fakin' it all
I said, whoo, hoo, yeah, yeah, ain't life grand
All the touchin', and feelin', and bumpin', and squealin'
Now whoo, hoo, oh yeah, ain't life grand
All the kickin', and screamin', all the lyin', and cheatin'
Now, whoo, hoo, yeah, yeah, ain't life grand
Ain't life grand, ain't life grand
Ain't it grand baby?
Ain't life grand baby
Ain't life grand mama
Sweet daddy grand
Mama grand, brother grand, woman grand
Papa grand, granny grand
Baby grand
Oh I need a damn gram
. . .
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Take a whiff, take a whiff, take a whiff on me
Everybody take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me (X2)
I got a woman 6ft4 sleepin in the kitchen with her feet in the door
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Sure maid, fishin in the creek, ain't caught a man since a way last week
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Take a whiff, take a whiff, take a whiff on me
Everybody take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me (X2)
Wanna get a woman let me tell you a word, grease your hair down slick n smart
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
I'm walkin' down the road with my hat in my hand lookin' for a woman who wants to meet a man,
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Take a whiff, take a whiff, take a whiff on me
Everybody take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me (X2)
Walkin down the road and the road's mighty muddy, sliipin n sliding n I can't stay steady
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
I know my woman ain't treatin me right she don't get home till the day gets light,
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Take a whiff, take a whiff, take a whiff on me
Everybody take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me (X2)
Meet a lot of woman rambling around but the Boston women are the best I've found
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Singing songs all night long, sing to my woman from midnight on,
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Take a whiff, take a whiff, take a whiff on me
Everybody take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me (X2)
. . .
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I danced all night with a bottle in my hand!
bottle in my hand, bottle in my hand
I danced all night with a bottle in my hand!
And we danced in the light of the moon!
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin!
and her heel kept a-knockin and her toes kept a-rockin
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin
And we danced by the light of the moon!
I danced all night with a bottle in my hand!
bottle in my hand, bottle in my hand
I danced all night with a bottle in my hand!
And we danced in the light of the moon!
I got a gal that lives on the hill!
Lives on the hill, lives on the hill!
Ive got a gal that lives on the hill!
Tell me wont ya come out tonight?!
The bootlegger's daughter and i love her still!
lover her still, lover her still!
The bootlegger's daughter and i love her still!
Tell me wont ya come out tonight!?
I danced all night with a bottle in my hand!
bottle in my hand, bottle in my hand
I danced all night with a bottle in my hand!
And we danced in the light of the moon!
Hurry up go 'n don't go slow!
Here you go 'n dont go slow!
There you go kickin up snow!
Hurry up go and on you go!
I went up and she went down!
swing that gal round round!
right wing up! left wing down!
you just go a-kickin at the floor!
I danced all night with a bottle in my hand!
bottle in my hand, bottle in my hand
I danced all night with a bottle in my hand!
And we danced in the light of the moon!
. . .
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Oh, little doggies
It's your misfortune and not of my own
Whoop-ee-ti-yi-o get along little doggies
You know that wyoming will be your new home
A cattle trail drunk and a hard road to travel
That old jack o' diamonds is a hard card to play
Get along, get along, get along little doggies
Get along little doggies and be on your way
Whoop-ee-ti-yi-o get along little doggies
It's your misfortune and not of my own
Whoop-ee-ti-yi-o get along little doggies
You know that wyoming will be your new home
Some boys have bit this old cow trail for pleasure
But that's where they get it most awfully wrong
I wish I could tell you the troubles they give us
As we go rolling these doggies along
Whoop-ee-ti-yi-o get along little doggies
It's your misfortune and not of my own
Whoop-ee-ti-yi-o get along little doggies
You know that wyoming will be your new home
. . .
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I went down to the fishing hole
And I set down with my fishing pole
Something grabbed my hook and it got my bait
And it jerked me out in the middle of the lake
Some jump, I got sunk
Baptized on credit
Fishing down on the muddy bank
Felt a pull and give a big yank
I hauled out three old rubber boots
And a Ford radiator and a Chevrolet coupe
Handed it in for National Defence
Settin' in a boat with a bucket of beer
And I hadn't caught nothin' but I didn't much care
I guess I was pretty well satisfied
I had my little lady right by my side
Takin' it easy. just a-waitin'
Worm been gone off that hook for couple hours
When you go fishin', I'll tell you what to do
You go set down by the grassy slough
Take a piece of string and tie it on your pole
And throw it way out in the middle of the hole
Find you a good shade tree and then just set down
Go to sleep, forget all about it
Jumped in the river and went down deep
There was a hundred pound catfish lying there asleep
Jumped on his back and rode him into town
Saddled him up and I come to town
People came runnin', lookin'
Dogs a-barkin', kids a-squallin'
Stagnate water's a stinkin' thing
Slick on top and all turned green
When the water goes bad, the fish all run
Sit all day and not catch a-one
'Cept ???, ???
Few little suckers
I waded out to a sandy bar
And I caught myself a big alligator gar
Brung him home across my back
Tail was dragging a mile and a half
Flippin' and floppin'
Sold him for a quarter
Shot craps, got in jail
Early one mornin', I took me a notion
To go out a-fishin' in the middle of the ocean
Throwed out my line, I caught me a shark
I didn't get him home 'til way past dark
He a man-eater, tough customer
Just wasn't quite tough enough
Late last night I had me a dream
I was out fishin' in a whiskey stream
Baited my hook with apple-jack
Threw out a drink and bring a gallon back
Done pretty good 'til the creek run dry
So I gave my fish back to the finance company
. . .
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Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James
Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and fame?
She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free
But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea.
Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
What were their names, tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James
Well, a hundred men went down in that dark watery grave
When that good ship went down only forty-four were saved.
'Twas the last day of October we saved the forty-four
From the cold ocean waters and the cold icy shore.
It was there in the dark of that uncertain night
That we watched for the U-boats and waited for a fight.
Then a whine and a rock and a great explosion roared
And they laid the Reuben James on that cold ocean floor.
Now tonight there are lights in our country so bright
In the farms and in the cities they're telling of the fight.
And now our mighty battleships will steam the bounding main
And remember the name of that good Reuben James.
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It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
Cold ocean floor must now be your home
It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
Cold ocean floor must now be your home
It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
Sad when that great ship went down
Cold ocean floor will now be your home
Sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
Cold ocean floor must now be your home
It was sad when that great ship went down
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I stood on the stepstone when schooldays was o'er
Long for the time to go by
Now that it's gone, I stand here tonight
Bid this old stepstone good bye.
Goodbye to my stepstone, goodbye to my home
God bless the ones that I leave with a cry
The field will be widening and I wil be gone
To ramble this wide world alone.
I stand on my stepsyone at eventide now,
The wind whistles by with a moan
Now it is gone and I stand here tonight
Goodbye to my stepstone and home.
Goodbye to my stepstone...
It's hard to be parted from those that we love
When reverses in fortune have come.
The world's strongest heartstrings are broken in twain
From the absence of loved ones and home.
Goodbye to my stepstone...
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Go to sleep you weary hobo
Let the towns drift slowly by
Can't you hear the steel rails hummin'
That's the hobo's lullaby
I know your clothes are torn and ragged
And your hair is turning gray
Lift your head and smile at trouble
You'll find peace and rest someday
Now don't you worry 'bout tomorrow
Let tomorrow come and go
Tonight you're in a nice warm boxcar
Safe from all that wind and snow
I know the police cause you trouble
They cause trouble everywhere
But when you die and go to Heaven
You'll find no policemen there
So go to sleep you weary hobo
Let the towns drift slowly by
Listen to the steel rails hummin'
That's a hobo's lullaby
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Did you ever see a hangman tie a hangknot?
Did you ever see a hangman tie a hangknot?
I've seen it many a time and he winds, he winds,
After thirteen times he's got a hangknot.
Tell me will that hangknot slip, no it will not,
Will that hangknot slip, no it will not.
Slip around your neck, but it won't slip back again
Hangknot, hangknot, that hangknot.
Did you ever lose your father on a hangknot?
Did you ever lose your father on a hangknot?
They hung him from a pole, and they shot him full of holes,
Left him there to rot on that hangknot.
Tell me who makes the laws for that hangknot?
Who makes the laws for that hangknot?
Who says who will go to the calaboose?
Get the hangman's noose on a hangknot.
I don't know who makes the law for that hangknot.
I don't know who makes the law for that hangknot.
But the bones of many a men are whistling in the wind,
Just because they tied their laws with a hangknot.
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When The Yanks Go Marching In |
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Keep My Skillet Good & Greasy |
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There's a little black train a-coming,
Coming down the track.
You've got to ride that little black train
but it ain't a-gonna bring you back.
You may be a bar-room gambler
And cheat your way through life,
But you can't cheat that little black train
Or beat this final ride.
You silken bar-room ladies,
dressed in your wordly pride.
You've got to ride that little black train,
That's coming in tonight.
Your million dollar fortune,
Your mansion glittering white,
You can't take it with you
When the train moves in tonight
Get ready for your saviour
Pick your business right.
You've got to ride that little black train,
To make this final ride.
You silken bar-roomladies,
dressed in your worldly pride,
You've got to ride that little black train
That's coming in tonight
You may be a bar-room gambler,
Cheat your way through life,
But you can't cheat that little black train,
Or beat this final ride.
There's a little black train a-coming,
Coming down the track.
You've got to ride that little black train
but it ain't a-gonna bring you back.
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It was late last night when the boss came home askin' for his lady
The only answer that he got, "
She's gone with the Gypsy Davey,
She's gone with the Gypsy Dave."
Go saddle for me a buckskin horse
And a hundred dollar saddle.
Point out to me their wagon tracks
And after them I'll travel,
After them I'll ride.
Well I had not rode to the midnight moon,
When I saw the campfire gleaming.
I heard the notes of the big guitar
And the voice of the gypsies singing
That song of the Gypsy Dave.
There in the light of the camping fire,
I saw her fair face beaming.
Her heart in tune with the big guitar
And the voice of the gypsies singing
That song of the Gypsy Dave.
Have you forsaken your house and home?
Have you forsaken your baby?
Have you forsaken your husband dear
To go with the Gypsy Davy?
And sing with the Gypsy Davy?
The song of the Gypsy Dave?
Yes I've forsaken my husband dear
To go with the Gypsy Davy,
And I've forsaken my mansion high
But not my blue-eyed baby,
Not my blue-eyed baby.
She smiled to leave her husband dear
And go with the Gypsy Davy;
But the tears come a-trickling down her cheeks
To think of the blue-eyed baby,
Pretty little blue-eyed baby.
Take off, take off your buckskin gloves
Made of Spanish leather;
Give to me your lily-white hair
And we'll ride home together
We'll ride home again.
No, I won't take off my buckskin gloves,
They're made of Spanish leather.
I'll go my way from day to day
And sing with the Gypsy Davy
That song of the Gypsy Davy,
That song of the Gypsy Davy,
That song of the Gypsy Dave.
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It was early springtime that the strike was on
They moved us miners out of doors
Out from the houses that the company owned
We moved into tents at old Ludlow
I was worried bad about my children
Soldiers guarding the railroad bridge
Every once in a while a bullet would fly
Kick up gravel under my feet
We were so afraid they would kill our children
We dug us a cave that was seven foot deep
Carried our young ones and a pregnant woman
Down inside the cave to sleep
That very night you soldier waited
Until us miners were asleep
You snuck around our little tent town
Soaked our tents with your kerosene
You struck a match and the blaze it started
You pulled the triggers of your gatling guns
I made a run for the children but the fire wall stopped me
Thirteen children died from your guns
I carried my blanket to a wire fence corner
Watched the fire till the blaze died down
I helped some people grab their belongings
While your bullets killed us all around
I will never forget the looks on the faces
Of the men and women that awful day
When we stood around to preach their funerals
And lay the corpses of the dead away
We told the Colorado governor to call the President
Tell him to call off his National Guard
But the National Guard belong to the governor
So he didn't try so very hard
Our women from Trinidad they hauled some potatoes
Up to Walsenburg in a little cart
They sold their potatoes and brought some guns back
And put a gun in every hand
The state soldiers jumped us in a wire fence corner
They did not know that we had these guns
And the red neck miners mowed down them troopers
You should have seen those poor boys run
We took some cement and walled that cave up
Where you killed those thirteen children inside
I said, "God bless the Mine Workers' Union"
And then I hung my head and cried
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Ramblin' around your city
Ramblin' around your town
I never see a friend I know
As I go ramblin' around, boys
As I go ramblin' around
My sweetheart and my parents
I left in my old home town
I'm out to do the best I can
As I go ramblin' around, boys
As I go ramblin' around
The peach trees they are loaded,
The limbs are bending down,
I pick 'em all day for a dollar, boys
As I go ramblin' around
As I go ramblin' around
Sometimes the fruit gets rotten
Falls down on the ground
There's a hungry mouth for every peach
As I go ramblin' around, boys
As I go ramblin' around
I wish that I could marry
I wished I could settle down
But I cain't save a penny, boys
As I go ramblin' around
As I go ramblin' around
My mother prayed that I would be
A man of some renown
But I am just a refugee
As I go ramblin' around, boys
As I go ramblin' around
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The lonesomest sound, boys,
I ever heard sound, boys,
On the stroke of midnight,
Hear the curfew blow.
My buddy will hang, boys,
On the hangman's rope, boys,
On the Gallus Pole, boys,
When the curfew blows.
Hear the curfew blowing,
Hear the curfew blowing,
In the coal black midnight,
Hear the curfew blow.
The sheriff's men, boys,
Are on my trail, boys,
In the midnight wind, boys,
Hear the curfew blow.
And when they catch me,
My body will hang, boys,
On the Gallus Pole, boys,
When the curfew blows.
Hear the curfew blowing,
Hear the curfew blowing,
In the coal black midnight,
Hear the curfew blow.
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This land is your land and this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
Saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me
I roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
All around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me
When the sun come shining, then I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me
This land is your land and this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me
When the sun come shining, then I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The voice come a-chanting and the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me
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