Thinking of Woody Guthrie

* A version of "Going Down the Road (I Ain't Going to Be Treated This Way)"

Pastures of Plenty

It's a mighty hard row that my poor hands has hoed
My poor feet has traveled a hot dusty road
Out of your dustbowl and westward we rode
And your deserts was hot and your mountains was cold.

I worked in your orchards of peaches and prunes
I slept on the ground in the light of the moon
On the edge of the city you'll see us and then
We come with the dust and we go with the wind.

California, Arizona, I make all your crops
Well it's up north to Oregon to gather your hops,
Dig the beets from your ground, cut the grapes from your vine
To set on your table your light sparkling wine.

Green pastures of plenty from dry desert ground
From the Grand Coulee Dam where the waters run down
Every state in this Union us migrants has been
We'll work in this fight and we'll fight till we win.

It's always we ramble that river and I
All along your green valley I will work until I die.
My land I'll defend with my life if need be
'Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free.

Talkin' Dust Bowl

Back in nineteen twenty seven
I had a little farm, I called that Heaven.
The prices up and the rain come down
And I hauled my crops all into town,
I got the money
Bought clothes and groceries
Fed the kids and raised a big family.

But the rain quit and the wind got high
A black old dust storm filled the sky.
I traded my farm for a Ford machine
Poured it full of this gasoline
Started rocking and rolling
Deserts and mountains to California.

Way up yonder on a mountain road
Hot motor and a heavy load
Going pretty fast I wasn't even stopping
Bouncing up and down like popcorn popping
I had a breakdown —
Kind of a nervous bustdown.
The mechanic fellow there charged me five bucks,
Said it was engine trouble.

Way up yonder on a mountain curve
Way up yonder in the piney wood
I gave that rolling Ford a shove
And I coast as far as I could
Commencing rolling
Picking up speed
Come a hairpin turn and...
I didn't make it.

No man alive I'm telling you
That the fiddles and the guitars really flew.
That Ford took off like a flying squirrel
And it flew halfway around the world
Scattered the wives and children
All over the side of that mountain.

Got to California so dad gum broke
Dad gum hungry that I thought I'd choke.
I bummed up a spud or two
And a wife fixed up some 'tater stew.
We poured the kids full of it
Mighty skinny kids
Looked like a tribe of thermometers running around.

No man I swear to you
That was surely mighty thin stew
So damn thin I really mean
You could read a magazine right through it
Look at the pictures, too
Pretty whisky bottles and naked women.
Always have thought and always have figured
That if that damn stew had been just a little bit thinner
Some of these here politicians could have seen through it.

Blowing Down that Old Dusty Road

I'm blowing down this old dusty road
I'm blowing down this old dusty road
I'm blowing down this old dusty road
I ain't gonna be treated this-a way.

They say I'm a dust bowl refugee
They say I'm a dust bowl refugee
They say I'm a dust bowl refugee
And I ain't gonna be treated this-a way.

I'm going where them dust storms never blow
I'm going where them dust storms never blow
Yes I'm going where them dust storms never blow, Lord, Lord,
And I ain't gonna be treated this-a way.

I'm going where the water tastes like wine
I'm going where the water tastes like wine
I'm going where the water tastes like wine,
I ain't gonna be treated this-a way.

It takes a twenty dollar shoe to fit my feet
It takes a twenty dollar shoe to fit my feet
It takes a twenty dollar shoe to fit my feet, Lord, Lord,
And I ain't gonna be treated this-a way.

I'm looking for a job with honest pay
I'm looking for a job with honest pay
I'm looking for a job with honest pay, Lord, Lord,
I ain't gonna be treated this-a way.

Well, I'm a-going down this old dusty road
Yes, I'm going down this old dusty road
I'm going down this old dusty road
And I ain't gonna be treated this-a way.

So Long it's Been Good to Know Yuh

I've sung this song but I'll sing it again
Of the place that I lived on the wild, windy plains
In the month of April, the county called Gray
Here's what all of the people there say,

Well it's so long it's been good to know yuh
So long it's been good to know yuh
So long it's been good to know yuh,
This dusty old dust is a-getting my home
And I got to be drifting along.

The dust storm hit and it hit like thunder,
It dusted us over and it dusted us under.
It blocked out the traffic, it blocked out the sun
And straight for home all the people did run

Singing so long it's been good to know yuh
So long it's been good to know yuh
So long it's been good to know yuh,
This dusty old dust is a-getting my home
And I got to be drifting along.

The sweethearts sat in the dark and they sparked,
They hugged and they kissed in that dusty old dark.
They sighed and they cried and they hugged and they kissed
But instead of marriage, they talked like this;

Honey, so long it's been good to know yuh
So long it's been good to know yuh
So long it's been good to know yuh,
This dusty old dust is a-getting my home
And I got to be drifting along.

Tom Joad

Tom Joad got out of that old McAlester pen
'Twas there that he got his parole
After four long years on a man killing charge
Tom Joad came a-walking down the road, poor boy,
Tom Joad came a-walking down the road.

It was there that he found him a truck driving man,
It was there that he caught him a ride.
He said, "I just got loose from McAlester pen
On a charge called homicide, great God,
A charge called homicide."

The truck rolled away in a big cloud of dust
And Tommy turned his face towards home.
He met Preacher Casey and they had a little drink
And he found out his family they was gone, Tom Joad,
He found out his family they was gone.

He found his mother's old-fashioned shoes
He found his daddy's hat
He found little Muley and little Muley said,
"They've been tractored out by the cats, Tom,
They've been tractored out by the cats."

Then Tom he walked to the neighboring farm,
He found his family.
They took Preacher Casey and they loaded in the car
And his mama said, "We got to get away, Tom."
His mama said, "We got to get away".

The twelve of the Joads made a mighty heavy load
And grandpa Joad, he cried.
He picked up a handful of land in his hand,
He said, "I'm sticking with my farm until I die."
He said, "I'm sticking with my farm until I die."

They fed him spare ribs and coffee and soothing syrup
And grandpa Joad, he died.
We buried grandpa Joad on the Oklahoma road
And grandma on the California side
And grandma on the California side.

We stood on a mountain and we looked to the West,
It looked like the Promised Land.
Was a big green valley with a river running through
And there was work for every single hand, we thought,
Work for every single hand.

The Joads rolled in to the Jungle Camp,
It was there that they cooked them a stew
And the hungry little kids in the Jungle Camp
Said, "We'd like to have some, too,
Yes, we'd like to have some, too."

A deputy sheriff fired loose at a man,
He shot a woman in the back,
But before he could take his aim again
It was Preacher Casey dropped him in his tracks,
Good boy, Preacher Casey dropped him in his tracks.

Well, they handcuffed Casey and they took him to jail
And then he got away.
He met Tom Joad by the old river bridge
And these few words he did say, Preacher Casey,
These few words he did say:

"Well, I preached for the Lord a mighty long time,
I preached about the rich and the poor,
But us workin' folks has got to stick together
Or we ain't got a chance anymore, God knows,
We ain't got a chance anymore."

Then the deputies come and Tom and Casey run
To the place where the water run down
And the vigilante bug hit Casey with a club
And he laid Preacher Casey on the ground
And he laid Preacher Casey on the ground.

Tom Joad he grabbed the deputy's club,
He banged it down on his head
When Tommy took flight in that dark and rainy night
Was a preacher and a deputy lying dead, two men,
A preacher and a deputy lying dead.

Tommy went back to where his mama was asleep,
He woke her up out of bed.
He kissed goodbye to the mother that he loved
And he said what Preacher Casey said, Tom Joad,
He said what Preacher Casey said.

Everybody might be just one big soul
It looks that-a way to me
So everywhere you look in the day or night
That's where I'm gonna be, Ma,
That's where I'm gonna be.

Wherever little kids are hungry and cry,
Wherever people ain't free,
Wherever men are fighting for their rights
That's where I'm gonna be, Ma,
That's where I'm gonna be.

The Sinking of the Reuben James

Have you heard of the ship called the good Reuben James ?
Manned by hard fighting men of both honor and fame
She flew the Stars and Stripes of the Land of the Free
But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea.

Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James ?
What were their names, tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James ?

'Twas there in the dark of that uncertain night
That we watched for the U-boats and waited for a fight.
Then a whine and a rock and a great explosion roar
And they laid the Reuben James on the cold ocean floor.

Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James ?
What were their names, tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James ?

Now tonight there are lights in our country so bright.
In the farms and the cities they are telling of this fight.
Now our mighty battleships will steam the bounding main
And remember the name of the good Reuben James.

Tell me what were their names, what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James ?
What were their names, tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James ?

Roll on Columbia

Green Douglas firs where the water cut through
Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew
Canadian Northwest to the ocean so blue,
It's roll on, Columbia, roll on.

Roll on, Columbia, roll on,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on,
Your power is turning our darkness to dawn
So roll on, Columbia, roll on.

Tom Jefferson's vision would not let him rest,
An empire he saw in the Pacific Northwest.
Sent Lewis and Clark and they did the rest,
So roll on, Columbia, roll on.

Roll on, Columbia, roll on,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on,
Your power is turning our darkness to dawn
So roll on, Columbia, roll on.

At Bonneville now there are ships in the locks
Waters have risen and cleared all the rocks
Shiploads of plenty will steam past the docks
It's roll on, Columbia, roll on.

Roll on, Columbia, roll on,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on,
Your power is turning our darkness to dawn
So roll on, Columbia, roll on.

And up on the river is the Grand Coulee Dam
The mightiest thing ever built by a man
To run the great factories and water the land,
It's roll on, Columbia, roll on.

Roll on, Columbia, roll on,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on,
Your power is turning our darkness to dawn
So roll on, Columbia, roll on.

Pretty Boy Floyd

Come gather round me children,
A story I will tell
About Pretty Boy Floyd the outlaw,
Oklahoma knew him well.

It was in the town of Shawnee,
It was a Saturday afternoon,
His wife beside him in the wagon
As into town they rode.

There a deputy sheriff approached him
In a manner rather rude
Using vulgar words of language
And his wife she overheard.

Pretty Boy grabbed a log chain
And the deputy grabbed a gun
And in the fight that followed
He laid that deputy down.

Then he took to the trees and timbers
And he lived a life of shame,
Every crime in Oklahoma
Was added to his name.

Yes he took to the trees and timbers
On that Canadian River's shore
And Pretty Boy found a welcome
At many a farmer's door.

There's many a starving farmer
The same old story told
How the outlaw paid their mortgage
And saved their little home.

Mothers tell you 'bout a stranger
That came to beg a meal
And underneath his napkin
Left a thousand dollar bill.

Now as through the world I ramble
I see lots of funny men
Some will rob you with a six-gun
Some with a fountain pen.

But as through life you travel,
Yes, as through life you roam,
You'll never see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home.

When the Curfew Blows

Oh the lonesomest sound, boys
I ever heard sound, boys,
On the stroke of midnight
Hear the curfew blow.

My body will hang, boys,
On the hangman's rope, boys,
On the gallows pole, boys,
When the curfew blows.

Hear the curfew blowin'
Hear the curfew blowin'
In the cold black midnight
Hear the curfew blow.

The sheriff's men, boys,
Are on my trail, boys,
In the midnight wind, boys,
Hear the curfew blow.

And when they catch me
My body will hang, boys,
On the gallows pole, boys,
When the curfew blows.

Hear the curfew blowin'
Hear the curfew blowin'
In the cold black midnight
Hear the curfew blow.

I never really knew Woody Guthrie, but I can't help to feel that somehow I always knew Woody. This record is a collection of songs I just naturally learned and loved in my early years of playing and singing. Woody said that he wanted to be known as "the man who told you something you already knew". And for me, this is a clue into the beauty and the genius of Woody Guthrie. For he was just an ordinary man — he made all the mistakes, had all the vices, all the good and the bad things that every ordinary person has. He never gave you the feeling that he was better than you in anyway, and he never gave you the feeling that he was worse than you — but that he loved you because you were just like him, he was just like you. Somehow without thinking he capped the reality and the dream of what it meant to be an american.

This Land Is Your Land

As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulfstream waters
This land was made for you and me.

I roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
"This land was made for you and me".

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulfstream waters
This land was made for you and me.

Recorded at Bradley's Barn, Mt. Juliet, Wilson County, TN, August 1969
Producer: Samuel Charters
(with many thanks to ED Denson for his help with the sessions) Engineer & re-mix: Jerry Bradley

Joe McDonald: vocals
Grady Martin: dobro, sitar, guitar
Ray Edenton: guitar
Harold Bradley: guitar
Hal Rugg: steel guitar
Hargus Robbins: piano
Norbert Putnam: bass
Buddy Harmon: drums

Original vinyl release: Vanguard VMD 6546 [December 1969]
Original CD release:  Vanguard VMD 6546 [May 13, 1989]

Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie) copyright © 1960 by TRO-Ludlow Music, BMI
Talkin' Dust Bowl (Woody Guthrie) copyright © 1960 by TRO-Ludlow Music, BMI
Blowing Down that Old Dusty Road (Woody Guthrie, Lee Hays) copyright © 1960 by TRO-Hollis Music, BMI
So Long it's Been Good to Know Yuh (Woody Guthrie) copyright © 1940, 1950, and 1951by Folkways Music, BMI
Tom Joad (Woody Guthrie) copyright © 1960 by TRO-Ludlow Music, BMI
The Sinking of the Reuben James (The Almanac Singers) copyright © 1960 by Leeds Music, ASCAP
Roll on Columbia (Woody Guthrie, Huddie Ledbetter, John A Lomax) copyright © 1957 by TRO-Ludlow Music, BMI
Pretty Boy Floyd (Woody Guthrie) copyright © 1958 by Sanga Music, renewed Fall River Music, BMI
When the Curfew Blows (Woody Guthrie) copyright © 1960 by TRO-Ludlow Music, BMI
This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie) copyright © 1956 and 1958 by TRO-Ludlow Music, BMI

This page made possible through the kind assistance of Serge Mironneau.