Post by Webster on Sept 2, 2020 22:27:24 GMT -5
--Scarecrow on a wooden cross
Blackbird in the barn
Four hundred empty acres that used to be my farm
I grew up like my daddy did
My grandpa cleared this land
When I was five I walked the fence while grandpa held my hand
Rain on the scarecrow
Blood on the plow
This land fed a nation
This land made me proud
And son I'm just sorry there's no legacy for you now
Rain on the scarecrow
Blood on the plow
Rain on the scarecrow
Blood on the plow
The crops we grew last summer weren't enough to pay the loans
Couldn't buy the seed to plant this spring and the
Farmers Bank foreclosed
Called my old friend Schepman up to auction off the land
He said John it's just my job and I hope you understand
Hey calling it your job ol' hoss sure don't make it right
But if you want me to I'll say a prayer for your soul tonight
And grandma's on the front porch swing with a Bible in her hand
Sometimes I hear her singing "Take me to the Promised Land"
When you take away a man's dignity he can't
Work his fields and cows
There'll be blood on the scarecrow
Blood on the plow
Blood on the scarecrow
Blood on the plow
Well there's ninety-seven crosses planted in the courthouse yard
Ninety-seven families who lost ninety-seven farms
I think about my grandpa and my neighbors and my name
And some nights I feel like dyin'
Like that scarecrow in the rain
Rain on the scarecrow
Blood on the plow
This land fed a nation
This land made me proud
And son I'm just sorry they're just memories for you now
Rain on the scarecrow
Blood on the plow
Rain on the scarecrow
Blood on the plow
Rain on the scarecrow
Blood on the plow
This land fed a nation
This land made me so proud
And son I'm just sorry they're just memories for you now
Rain on the scarecrow
Blood on the plow
Rain on the scarecrow
Blood on the plow
The song's meaning & origins (Songfacts),
This song is about the financial difficulties farmers in the Midwest US face; difficulties that can go as far as having their farms repossessed by banks. Mellencamp wrote the song with his friend George Green, who he worked with on many of this tracks, including "Hurts So Good."
"Our songs always came about the same way: talk around the kitchen table," Mellencamp told Rolling Stone. "I had just played 'Small Town' for him. He said, "I don't know why these towns are going out of business" - towns like Freetown and Dudleytown, Indiana. We couldn't figure out why they were disappearing. We did our research and wrote this song - Reagan had been using grain against the Soviet Union and all sorts of other things. Talking to people was heartbreaking. Nobody wanted to lose their farm."
"Our songs always came about the same way: talk around the kitchen table," Mellencamp told Rolling Stone. "I had just played 'Small Town' for him. He said, "I don't know why these towns are going out of business" - towns like Freetown and Dudleytown, Indiana. We couldn't figure out why they were disappearing. We did our research and wrote this song - Reagan had been using grain against the Soviet Union and all sorts of other things. Talking to people was heartbreaking. Nobody wanted to lose their farm."