RAIN
ON THE SCARECROW
John Cougar
Scarecrow
on a wooden
cross, blackbird in the barn
Four hundred
ancient
acres that used to be my farm
Grew up like
my daddy
did, my grandpa cleared this land
When I was
five I walked
a fence while grandpa held my hand
Rain on the scarecrow, blood on the plow
This land
fathered nation,
this land made me proud
Son, I'm so
sorry, there's
no way to support 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 loan
Went by to
see the bank
this spring and found
the
bank had foreclosed
Come old
friendship to
auction off the land
He said,
`John, it's
just my job and I hope you understand'
They call it
your job
ah-ha, sure don't make it right
`If you want
me to I'll
say a prayer for your son tonight'
Grandma's on the front porch
with the bottle
in her hand
Sometimes I
hear her
singing to, to the promised land
You take away
a man's
dignity, you get workers, fields and cows
There'll be
blood on
the scarecrow, blood on the plow
Blood on the
scarecrow,
blood on the plow
There's
ninety-seven crosses
planted in the court house yard
For the
ninety-seven
families who lost ninety-seven farms
I think about
my grandpa
and my neighbors and my name
Some nights I
feel like
dying, like a scarecrow in the rain
Rain on the scarecrow, blood on
the plow
This land
fathered nation,
this land made me proud
Son, I'm
sorry, there's
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
fathered nation,
this land made me proud
Son, I'm
sorry, there's
just memories for you now
Rain on the
scarecrow,
blood on the plow
Rain on the
scarecrow,
blood on the plow
1985 John
Mellencamp/Riva
Records:: on his "Scarecrow"
