Earth Behind the Plow



See the earth behind the plow
Turn to straight dark rows
Feel the trickle in your clothes
Blow the dust cake from your nose
And feel the tractor's steady roar
Oh you can't stop now
There's a quarter section more or less to go
And it figures that the rain
Keeps it own sweet time
You can watch it come for miles
But you think you're got awhile
So case the throttle out a hair
Every rod's a gain
There's victory in every quarter mile


Poor old hossack down the road
The heart ache hail and hoppers
Got him down
He gave it up and went to town
And Emmett Pierce the other day
Took a heart attack and died at 4r
You could see it comin' worked as hard as you


In an hour, may be more
You'll be wet clear through
The air is cooler now
Pull your hat brim father down
And watch the field behind the plow
Torn to straight dark rows
Put another season's promise in the ground


And if the harvest is any good
The money might just cover all the loans
You've mortgaged all you own
Buy the kids a winter coat
Take the wife back east for Christmas if you can
All summer she hangs on
Cause she's so tied to the land


The good times come and go
But at least there's rain
So this won't be barren ground
When September rolls around
So watch the field behind the plow
Turn to straight dark rows
Put another seasons promise in the ground