Story Behind The Song
I was raised by my grandfather, who was a cotton farmer. I chopped cotton only one season, and that was enough to convince me to go to college and make a better life. Fortunately, I had the means, but others are not so fortunate, but still they dream and many escape.
Song Description
A poor young field hand works with his family in the cotton fields. He is part of 3 generations of field hands and he dreams of escaping to a better life.
| Song Length |
4:56 |
Genre |
Blues - Country, Folk - Country |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Restless, Nervous |
Subject |
Dreams, Hope |
| Similar Artists |
Bob Dylan, The Band |
Language |
English |
| Era |
2000 and later |
| |
Lyrics
POOR BOY'S DREAM
by Scott Aycock, copyright 2009
I got a rabbit foot and a one-eyed jack
Ninety pound sack of cotton on my back
Been pickin' all day in the burnin' heat,
And the delta clay been a'burnin' my feet
Boss man say, "we got work to do."
"Gonna pick all day until the day is through."
Weigh that cotton at the end of the day
Give me ten cents a pound, that's a'what he pay.
CHORUS-
Work all day in the flat-bottomed heat
Walk those rows like a blind man's beat
Sweat pours down in a steady stream
All this poor boy can do is dream.
Pickin' that cotton all's I knows
In these fields my family has grown
Three generations of picking snow
Swore by god, I'd be the first to go.
Give my money to the family tree
Hold's back a little just for me
When I know's I has enough
Gonna fetch me a ride on a greyhound bus
CHORUS-
BREAK-
CHORUS AGAIN
I don't care where I land
Just far from here is my plan
When I steps off that bus
Gonna taste me something 'sides this dust.
CHORUS-