There was powder dust on the section line road
Like flower spilled on the kitchen floor
It ain't rained since early spring
Over a hundred thirty days or more
That little pond at the foot of the hill
It was dryer than a July wind
Loaded up the cows and we took em to town
Brought nothin' took em home again
[Chorus]
It was dry in 1930
It was dry in 32'
I don't need a new deal hand out
A little rain'll do
My grandpa set beneath the shade of a post oak
Pulled out his watch and he looked at the sky
Wondered out loud will it ever rain
I can't remember when it was this dry
He looked at his wife and his dusty children
And he pondered the fate of a farmin' man
You make a crop and it ain't worth nothin'
Next year the weather got him again
[Chorus]
Well my grandpa said that Hoover tried to starve them to d**h
Just because they were poor
They held on to one another
One another's all they had before
He finally gave and swallowed his pride
Made a mark for credit at the general store
Cost a penny a pound for cotton
The next year it costs two cents more
[Chorus]
Well he told me once you better stick to your business
Don't be drinkin' and actin' a fool
I spent the best years of my life
Lookin' at the backside of a mule
And he told me once you better get you some schoolin'
Take a look at me and these callused hands
Don't forget where you were raised
Keep a tie to the land
[Chorus]
No, I don't need a new deal hand out
A little rain'll do