Tulare dust in a farm boy's nose
Wonderin' where the freight train goes
Standin' in a field by the railroad track
Cursin' this strap on my cotton sack
I can see Mom and Dad with shoulders low
Both of 'em pickin' on a double row
They do it for a livin' because they must
That's life like it is in the Tulare dust
Spoken:
The California sun was somethin' new
That winter we arrived in '42
Sung:
And I can still remember how my Daddy cussed
The tumbleweeds here in the Tulare dust
Spoken:
The valley fever was a common fate
For the farm workers here in the Golden State
Sung:
And I miss Oklahoma but I'll stay if I must
And help make a livin' in the Tulare dust
The Tulare dust in a farm boy's nose
Wonderin' where the freight train goes
Standin' in a field by the railroad track
Cursin' this strap on my cotton sack