Jim Croce Album

This land is your land
This land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the redwood forest
To the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me

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

The sun was shinin' and I was strollin'
The wheat fields waving, the dust clouds rolling
And all around me a voice was singing
You know that 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 Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me

This land was made for you and me
This land was made for you and me

Some people say I'm a no 'count
Others say I'm no good
But I'm just a nat'ral born travellin' man
Doin' what I think should, oh yeah
Doin' what I think should

When I was a little baby my mama said, hey son
Travel where you will and grow to be a man
But sing what must be sung, poor boy
Sing what must be sung

And I don't give a damn about a greenback dollar
I spend it fast as I can
For a wailing song and a good guitar
The only things that I understand, poor boy
The only things that I understand

When I was a little baby my mama said, hey son
Travel where you will and grow to be a man
But sing what must be sung, poor boy
Sing what must be sung

Now that I'm a grown man
I've travelled here and there
I found that a jug of brandy and a song
Are the only ones who care, poor boy
The only ones who care

When I was a little baby my mama said, hey son
Travel where you will and grow to be a man
But sing what must be sung, poor boy
Sing what must be sung

It was early last September
As near as I can remember
While strolling down a lane in tipsy pride
Not a word did I utter
As I lay down in the gutter
And this pig came up and lay there by my side
Not a soul was I disturbing
As I lay there by the curbing
When this high toned lady come
And I heard her say
You can tell a man who boozes
By the company he chooses
And the pig got up and slowly walked away

You may talk of gin and beer
When you're stationed way out here
An' you're sent to penny fights an' Aldershot it
But when it comes to slaughter
You will do your work for water
An' you'll lick the bloomin' boots of 'im that's got it.

Now in Inja's sunny clime
Where I used to spend my time
Servin' her Majesty the Queen
Of all the black faced crew
The finest man I knew
Was regimental bhisti, Gunga Din

The uniform he wore
Was nothin' much before
An' rather less than half of that behind
But a piece of twisty rag
An' a goatskin water bag
Was all the field equipment he could find

When a sweatin' troop train lay
In a sidin' through the day
Where the heat would make you bloomin' eyebrows crawl
We shouted, "Harry by"
Till our throats were bricky-dry
Then wopped him 'cause he couldn't serve us all.

He would dot an' carry one
Till the longest day was done
An' never seemed to know the use of fear
If we charged a broke or cut
You could bet your bloomin' nut
He'd be waitin' fifty paces right flank rear.

With his mussick on his back
He would skip to our attack
An' watch us till the bugles made "Retire"
An' for all his dirty hide
He was white, clear white inside
When he went to tend the wounded under fire.

It was Din, Din, Din
With the bullets kickin' dust spots on the green
And when the cartridges ran out
You could hear the front files shout
Send ammunition mules, and Gunga Din!

I shan't forget the night
When I fell behind the fight
With a bullet where my belt plate should a' been
I was chokin' mad with thirst
An' the man that spied me first
Was our good old grinnin', gruntin' Gunga Din

He lifted up my head
An' he plugged me where I bled
An' he gave me half a pint of water green
It was crawlin' and it stunk
But of all the drinks I've drunk
I'm most grateful to the one from Gunga Din

He carried me away
To where a dooli lay
An' a bullet came and drilled the beggar clean
He carried me inside
An' just before he died
I hope you liked your drink said Gunga Din.

So I'll meet him later on
In the place where he as gone
Where it's always double drill and no canteen
He'll be squattin' on the coals
Givin' drinks to poor damned souls
I'll catch a swig in hell from Gunga Din

It was Din, Din, Din
You Lazarushian-leather Gunga Din
Tho' I've belted you an' flayed you
By the livin' God that made you
You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din

Sun come up in the morning
Blues round my head
I've got a troubled mind and plenty of time to roam
As I walk this crooked highway
Never knowin' where to go
You know the only life I know is bein' on the road

I've got holes in my shoes that I fill with paper
When the sun's out they dry
And when it rains well they get wet but I don't cry

Because the sun don't know no difference
Between a rich man and a bum
And the only life I know is movin' round the sky

See him grin down at you people
I guess you don't know what his laughter's from
But if you spend enough time on the road
Maybe you'd find out
Because the sun goes round in an endless circle
Never knowin' the reason why
Still there's something in the path that it traces round the sky
It's like a circle with no ending
But it's a race we all must run
And it's the same bein' a rich man or a bum

You big fat woman get your fat leg off of me
You big fat woman get your fat leg off of me
You feel so good
Scare the hell out of me
You got a great big leg
Got a whoppin' thigh
Great big leg
Got a whoppin' thigh
Now oooh
You got a great big leg
Got a whoppin' thigh
And every time you move make my temperature rise
That fine lookin' woman got a great big leg
Fine lookin' woman got a great big leg, Yeah
Big fat woman with a great big leg
Big fat woman got a great big leg
And every time she moves
Moves like a soft boiled egg

So big fat woman get your fat leg off of me
Now you obese woman get your fat leg off of me
You feel so good
Scare the hell out of me

I know a fool who blows a horn,
He comes from ‘way down South,
Oh yeah; And you ain't seen such blowin' since you been born,
Like when a trombone's to his mouth.

He wails and moans, grunts and groans.
He can moan just like a cow;
And you ain't seen such blowin'
Since you been born, ‘Cause he won't show ‘em how.

Oh, Charley, won't you play that thing, I mean the slide trombone
Make it talk, Make it sing,
I mean the slide trombone.
If Gabriel knew how you could blow,
He'd let you lead his band, I know.
Oh, Charley, won't you play that thing,
I mean the slide trombone.
Oh, Charley, play that thing,
I mean the slide trombone.

Make it talk, Make it sing,
I mean the slide trombone.

Now you ain't seen such movin' hips,
Like when the trombone's to his lips.
Charley Green, play that thing,
I mean the slide trombone,

Oh, yeah, I mean the slide trombone.

The railroads, and the riverboats, that bred the mighty man
That we read about, and we dream about
The men who built this land
And the farmers and the lumbermen and the men who worked the mills
And the poor hard working miners
Who died inside the hills

While the rivers that flow
Are the blood of our land
And the trucks they keep rumbling
On the great concrete band
And the railroads keep pushing
To be all they once were
And nature is calling
No one's listening to her

And the immigrants, by the boat load, in a dozen different tones
Sang of freedom, in the new land
Climbed the ladder rung by rung
Some to Boston, some to Pittsburg, Philidelphia and St. Paul
And the old ways, led to new days
They were welcome one and all.

While the rivers that flow
Are the blood of our land
And the trucks they keep rumbling
On the great concrete band
And the railroads keep pushing
To be all they once were
And nature is calling
No one's listening to her

With the railroads, and the riverboats, and the bread lines far behind
And the days we sang together
Long gone but still in mind
And the men who, came before us, men who brought us to today
And the story, still unravels, from the dreams of yesterday

While the rivers that flow
Are the blood of our land
And the trucks they keep rumbling
On the great concrete band
And the railroads keep pushing
To be all they once were
And nature is calling
No one's listening to her
And nature is calling,
No one's listening to her

When I was a boy in the days of the train
I'd sit by the tracks on a long summer day
And I'd wave at the brakesman
And he'd wave back at me
While the thunderclouds rolled
Out of East Tennessee
But the dreams of a boy disappear when you're grown
And though I may dream, the railroads are gone
The ties they are rotten
And the tracks shot to hell
Along with my dreams and the old railroad bell
In my dreams I ride the rails to California
Workin' diners and farms along the way
Or I'd hop a ride to hide across the border
With a black eyed girl beside me all the way
Now the mountains are silent
And the railroads are gone
And the coal towns no longer hear the miners at dawn
But the train whistle shrills out her memories to me
While the thunderclouds roll out of East Tennessee
In my dreams I ride the rails to California
Workin' diners and farms along the way
Or I'd hop a ride to hide across the border
With a black eyed girl beside me all the way
Now the mountains are silent
And the railroads are gone
And the coal towns no longer hear the miners at dawn
But the train whistle shrills out her memories to me
While the thunderclouds roll out of East Tennessee

How come we can't talk the way we used to do
Nothin' seems to be the same
Have we forgotten all the things we knew
Was it you or I who changed
We've got to find the answer
Let the secrets fly
Enough of telling stories and our well meaning lies
Things don't seem to be the same no matter how I try
There's no rhythm to the rain
Wind still whispers through the leaves on high
But they no longer sing your name
We've got to try to build what we had in the past
Tryin's half the battle if we lose it we can't last
Heard myself just say the things I could never say before
And listened to the rhythm of the rain
Wind just whispered through the leaves on high
And I though I heard them sing your name
We've got to find the answer
Let the secrets fly
Enough of telling stories and our well meaning lies
We've got to try to build what we had in the past
Tryin's half the battle if we lose it we can't last
Heard myself just say the things I could never say before
And listened to the rhythm of the rain
Wind just whispered through the leaves on high
And I though I heard them sing your name
And I though I heard them sing your name

Smoke another cigarette, have another drink or two
Sit by the telephone 'til morning
She never tells me where she's goin'
But I think it's mighty plain
Maybe tomorrow
She'll be back home again
She wasn't like this when I met her
Whatever made her change?
Now she never even says I love you
She just comes a-rollin' in
Never wanting to explain
Maybe tomorrow she'll be back home again
Wish that I could meet him
Just to tell him who I am
I would like to find out what he has
That I don't have
She never says a thing about him but it's plain as day
She's going somewhere every evening
Can't take it too much longer
I think I'm goin' insane
Maybe tomorrow she'll be back home again
Wish that I could meet him
Just to tell him who I am
I would like to find out what he has
That I don't have
She never says a thing about him but it's plain as day
She's going somewhere every evening
Can't take it too much longer
I think I'm goin' insane
Maybe tomorrow she'll be back home again

It's been too many years
Inside this prison
Too many years just for
One little fight
He got what was comin'
And I think I've served enough time
I'm goin' home tonight

That stone looks mighty cold
And the guard that walks that wall
Is just waitin' to get a
Convict in his sights
But if I can clear the top
You can bet I'll never stop
'Cause I'm goin' home tonight

Because stone walls do a prison
Make iron bars a cage
Any man who says they don't
Never been inside
'Cause in time the bars get closer
And at night the walls grow tighter
Do you feel like there's a
Shackle around your mind

Now those guards are on my tail
I can hear those sirens wail
But I know that I'll get away
And that I'll be alright
'Cause I'd rather live on the run
Stand free in the morning sun
Than to spend another
Lonely prison night

Because stone walls do a prison
Make iron bars a cage
Any man who says they don't
Never been inside
'Cause in time the bars get closer
And at night the walls grow tighter
Do you feel like there's a
Shackle around your mind

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She was just a country girl
Didn't have those New York City ways
When she hopped a bus in Ohio
Headin' for the crowded streets where no one says a word
She was just a country girl living in the lonely city
Met a man who learned her name
She became a woman on a rainy New York night
There's a new day dawnin' in the city
She calls her Mama collect
Sayin' Mama send bus fare back to Ohio
Have somebody meet me at the depot
She was just a country girl
Spent some time in New York City
Now she tells her friends about lonely New York City
And her lonely New York night
She was just a country girl
She was just a country girl

Which way are you goin'?
Which side will you be on?
Will you stand and watch while,
All the seeds of hate are sewn?
Will you stand with those who say
Let his will be done?

One hand on the Bible
And one hand on the gun.
One hand on the Bible
And one hand on the gun.

Which way are you lookin'?
Is it hard to see?
Do you say what's wrong for him
Is not wrong for me?
You walk the streets of righteousness
But you refuse to understand.

Say you love the baby,
And then you crucify the man.
Say you love the baby,
And then you crucify the man.

Every day,
Things are changing.
Words once honored turn to lies.
People wandering
Can you blame them?
It's too far to run
And too late to hide.

So now you turn your back on,
Everything that you used to preach.
It's let him live in freedom,
If he lives like me.
Well your light has changed,
Confusion reigns.
What have you become?

All your olive branches turn to spears
When your flowers turn to guns.
All your olive branches turn to spears
When your flowers turn to guns.

He struggled so hard to be king
Working night and day
Dreaming of only one thing
Never a holiday
Somewhere along the way
He forgot she was only a girl
Now his kingdom has fallen
And it's really quite a tragic tale
Cause he built a castle to harbor his queen
But the queen claimed he built her a jail
He struggled so hard to be king
He wanted everything
He built her a house by the sea
Just to keep her in
Somewhere along the way
He forgot she needed a friend
Now his kingdom has fallen
And it's really quite a tragic tale
Cause he built a castle to harbor his queen
And the queen claimed he built her a jail
It happened so quickly before he could know
She was gone, far gone
Far from the castle, the diamonds and things
She had worn to the ball
There was a note that she carefully wrote
Signed it best wishes to all
Oh you struggled so hard to be king
Working night and day
Dreaming of only one thing, never a holiday
Somewhere along the way
You forgot that I needed a man
When they found him they took him back where he belonged
And his family and friends saw him annually
And they say it's a shame what's become of the king

With just a sleeping bag
And an old guitar
I left the band in New Orleans
I did some time with the bottle
Some with the river queens
I never thought I would meet a girl
Who could turn my head around
'Til I met that Mississippi lady
In sleepy Gulfport town, she was a

Mississippi lady
My lovin' Gulfport gal
She taught me how to love
And she really loved me well
She took me up to heaven
Then she brought me down
That Mississippi lady
Sweet Cordelia Brown

Hot July in Gulfport
And I was working in the bars

And she was working on the street
With the rest of the evening stars
She said, "I never met a guy
Who could turn my head around"
And that's really sayin' something
For sweet Cordelia Brown, she was a

Now I'm back in New York City
Playin' in a band
But my mind's on Mississippi
Is it hard to understand
I never thought I would meet a girl
Who could bring me that far down
Like the girl I met in Gulfport
Sweet Cordelia Brown, she was a

That Mississippi lady
Sweet Cordelia Brown

That Mississippi lady
Sweet Cordelia Brown

That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
All day long they work so hard till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways and wearin', wearin' a frown
Hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody say
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
He don't love you, like I love you
If he did he wouldn't break your heart
He don't love you, like I love you
He's trying to tear us apart
Gonna find her, I'm gonna find her, I'm gonna find her
Oh, if I have to climb a mountain, you know I will
And if I have to swim a river, you know I will
And I might find her hidin' up on Blueberry Hill
How am I gonna find her, child, you know I will
Cause I'm goin' searchin'
I'm goin' searchin'
Searchin' everywhere
Just like some Northwest Mountie
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
All day long they work so hard till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways and wearin', wearin' a frown
Hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody say
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang

Ol' man river.
That ol' man river.
He must know somethin'
But he don't say nothin'
That ol' man river he just keeps rollin' along

He don't plant tators
He don't plant cotton.
Them that plants 'em is soon forgotten.
But ol' man river
He just keeps rollin' along.

You and me
We sweat and strain.
Body all achin'
And wracked with pain.

Tote that barge.
Lift that bale.
Get a little drunk
And you land in jail.

But I get weary
Sick of tryin'
Cause I'm tired of livin'
But I'm scared of dyin'
And ol' man river
He just keeps rollin' along.

You and me
We sweat and strain.
Body all achin'
And wracked with pain.

Tote that barge.
Lift that bale.
Get a little drunk
And you land in jail.

But I get weary
Sick of tryin'
Cause I'm tired of livin'
But I'm scared of dyin'
And ol' man river
He just keeps rollin' along.

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