I learned to drive my daddy's old pickup truck Down in the orange grove I'd nearly get a whippin' when I'd get the truck stuck Down in the orange grove I wore out my first pair of Brogan shoes Down in the orange grove And that's where I learned how to sing the blues Down in the orange grove I learned to pray to the lord up above The very first time I ever tasted love was Down in the orange grove Down in the orange grove You learn the value of a dollar when the sun gets hot Down in the orange grove The boss wants more and you give it all you've got Down in the orange grove We'd have to light the smudge pots when it'd come a freeze Down in the orange grove
And work all night just to save the trees Down in the orange grove I never will forget all the lessons I learned Or the work I did for the money I earned Down in the orange grove Down in the orange grove Well the big freeze came; now the trees are gone Down in the orange grove They cleared the land and they've built new homes Down in the orange grove Then the canker hit back in '84 Down in the orange grove Now there's shopping malls and grocery stores Down in the orange grove It made a lot of people happy when the progress came But deep down I know it won't be the same Down in the orange grove Down in the orange grove Down in the orange grove