The Drought

The Drought
 There's a silence in the kitchen, and a silence in my soul
 Guess I've never felt so lonely, and I've never felt so old
 Tommy's sittin' at the table, and he's lookin' at the bills
 If this blessed heat don't get him, then a broken spirit will
 Now this land's been in my family for over sixty years
 I grew up on this place, then I raised my children here
 My folks saw the Great Depression, and survived it on a prayer
 Now I know just how they felt to see the land so parched and bare
 I went walkin' out this evenin', when the sun was hangin' low
 It used to feel so peaceful, I could hear the new corn grow
 But the land was dead and silent, and the corn lay on the ground
 Tho, I watered it with tears, you know, it never made a sound
 Now Tom and I are farmers, and this land has been our friend
 We've fought tight-fisted bankers, when no money would they lend
 We've worked just like the devil, we laughed when day was through
 But now this house is silent, and I don't know what to do.
 Sometimes there's a whisper, and I can feel the wind come up
 But it's a sound that gives no comfort, only dust to fill my cup
 For the land is blowing far away, it's leavin' this old place
 And sometimes in my dreams I see the wind with Tommy's face
 There's a silence in the kitchen, and a silence in my soul...