Ricky Skaggs - A hard row to hoe lyrics

Spent my life on a John Deere tractor, Made my living by the sweat of my brow Raised a family, on the fruit of the land, From the seed of a prairie plant Caught the wind, of hailing twisters Fight tear drops, and the bitter cold But the man-made help, has made my life a hard row to hoe In our struggle for survival The farmers bank, a line of loan I guess it squeezed our every dollar And the shrinking price of corn While we lived with Fred and Barbles And the surplus overflowed Just to feed my wife and family Makes it a hard to roe We’re the back bone of this nation Lord It’s a painful source of grief, We are the first to feel the pain, And the last to get relief If things don’t change the family farmers’ Gonna go the way of the buffalo Heaven help us lord, it’s a hard row to hoe The final blow, it came this morning In a note from the FHA, There will be no more extensions On the loan that I can’t pay There gonna sell my farm at an auction Lock stock and cotton wool That leaves me, my wife and babies With a hard row to hoe We’re the back bone of this nation Lord It’s a painful source of grief, We are the first to feel the pain, And the last to get relief If things don’t change the family farmer Is gonna go the way of the buffalo Heaven help us lord, it’s a hard row to hoe