Levon Helm Follow

I worked the land to raise a family
'Till I was weary to the bone
But hard labor never bothered me
Lord, it's all I've ever known

Too many seasons are calamity
And too much interest to hold a loan
I'm half the size that I used to be
And half of that is stone

The crops ain't worth the seedin'
Ten will only get you five
The livestock I'm I feedin'
I can hardly keep them alive

I gotta do what I can to survive

I know the law won't be forgivin'
But that'll be the choice I make
I used to farm for a livin'
And now I'm in the growin' trade

The summer beauty of the cotton field
Was like a view from Heaven's door
My granddaddy said that harvest time
Was what the good Lord made us for

I guess you'd wonder where's the dignity
In a crop you raise to burn
But this land is my legacy
I got no where else to turn

Shotgun on my shoulder
Where a towsack oughta be
The thieves are getting bolder
And the Feds may be watching me

I gotta quit this eventually

I know the law won't be forgivin'
But that'll be the choice I make
I used to farm for a livin'
And now I'm in the growing trade

Helicopters in the distance
Coming closer every day
They're gonna meet some resistance
Ain't no price to big to pay

It won't be any different
When they take it all away
Between the cop and the jailhouse
And a bed beneath the clay

I guess there's nothing to do now but pray

I know the law won't be forgivin'
But that'll be the choice I make
I used to farm for a livin'
And now I'm in the growing trade