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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Monday, May 7, 2012

Up In Smoke

tobacco barn in Calvert County, MD (source)
My daddy was a farmer
in the Old Line state
We never had much coming up
but food was on our plates
When he died, I got the land
I work it to this day
but my son, he has to leave
'cause farming just don't pay

I swear to the Lord above
I'm a peaceful man
but when they curse my family name
I've got to take a stand
It ain't my fault
if what I farm
has brought your family grief
It's part of Southern heritage
I grow tobacco leaf

Now I make an honest living
and I think it's pretty sad
The schools are teachin' children
that what I do is bad
They're tearing down tobacco barns
My family's goin' broke
My way of life is goin' to Hell
Tradition up in smoke.

traditional Southern MD tobacco barn (source)

8 comments:

JustRex said...

Well.... I will just have to admit. When I started reading this, tobacco wasn't what I was thinking. (grin) The title had me going in a different direction altogether.

BB said...

Thoroughly enjoyed this! Sad isn't it?

Hey Monkey Butt said...

Very nice!! We're southern here I guess and I just quit smoking in decemberm 2nd hand smoke or not, non smokers die of cancer too :) I miss my smokes... lols

Brian Miller said...

he should have moved over to the other leaf...its medicinal now you know...which is where my mind went when i read up in smoke...anyway, really like the cadence of this...

Brian Miller said...

he should have moved over to the other leaf...its medicinal now you know...which is where my mind went when i read up in smoke...anyway, really like the cadence of this...

not displayed said...

A sad story. A lot of our farmers have been forced off the land by years of drought and rising costs.
It is a pity your farmer couldnt find a way to diversify

Marian said...

oh, man, i can hear this one in my head. can you sing it please! :) excellent.

goatman said...

I think that the vertical boards on the outside of the tobacco barn may be french-inspired? I saw similar vertical construction on the old french buildings in St. Genevieve Missouri recently.
Nice blog