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Dust Bowl Lyrics
I should know to leave them home.
They follow me through the store with these toys I can't afford.
"Kids, take them back, you know better than that."
Dolls that talk, astronauts, T.V. games, airplanes, they don't understand and how can I explain?
I try and try but I can't save.
Pennies, nickels, dollars slip away.
I've tried and tried but I can't save.
My youngest girl has bad fever, sure.
All night with alcohol to cool and rub her down.
Ruby, I'm tired, try and get some sleep.
I'm adding doctor's fees to remedies with the cost of three day's work lost.
I try and try but I can't save.
Pennies, nickels, dollars slip away.
I've tried and tried but I can't save.
The hole in my pocketbook is growing.
There's a new wind blowing they say, it's gonna be a cold, cold one.
So brace yourselves my darlings, it won't bring anything much our way but more dust bowl days.
I played a card in this weeks game.
Took the first and the last letters in three of their names.
This lottery's been building up for weeks.
I could be lucky me with the five million prize, tears of disbelief spilling out of my eyes.
I try and try but I can't save.
Pennies, nickels, dollars slip away.
I've tried and tried but I can't save.
The hole in my pocketbook is growing.
There's a new wind blowing they say, it's gonna be a cold, cold one.
So brace yourselves my darlings, it won't bring anything much our way but more dust bowl days.
They follow me through the store with these toys I can't afford.
"Kids, take them back, you know better than that."
Dolls that talk, astronauts, T.V. games, airplanes, they don't understand and how can I explain?
I try and try but I can't save.
Pennies, nickels, dollars slip away.
I've tried and tried but I can't save.
All night with alcohol to cool and rub her down.
Ruby, I'm tired, try and get some sleep.
I'm adding doctor's fees to remedies with the cost of three day's work lost.
I try and try but I can't save.
Pennies, nickels, dollars slip away.
I've tried and tried but I can't save.
The hole in my pocketbook is growing.
So brace yourselves my darlings, it won't bring anything much our way but more dust bowl days.
Took the first and the last letters in three of their names.
This lottery's been building up for weeks.
I could be lucky me with the five million prize, tears of disbelief spilling out of my eyes.
I try and try but I can't save.
Pennies, nickels, dollars slip away.
I've tried and tried but I can't save.
The hole in my pocketbook is growing.
So brace yourselves my darlings, it won't bring anything much our way but more dust bowl days.
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The best version of this song is by Natalie live in concert. The first verse is from the point of view of a single mother in modern times. The second verse is told by a single mother in the Dust Bowl era in the 1930s, and the third verse represents the hopes of poor people from all eras. It's about cyclical poverty and the strength of those who live amid it.
@TheSneakyWaffle this version? https://youtu.be/wyBo6neHd8o
@TheSneakyWaffle this version? https://youtu.be/wyBo6neHd8o
I don't think that the second verse necessarily referring to a mother living in the Dust Bowl era -- it seems perfectly possible to me that a mother at this point in time could be singing the same thing. The whole song represents the sentiments that TheSneakyWaffle says are expressed in the third verse (and winning the lottery doesn't yell "all eras" to me, but whatever). It's a gorgeous song -- all of the salient social messages expressed on Blind Man's Zoo deserve more attention than they get.
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The whole thing is about the pov of a mother living during the Dust Bowl days....it's actually one of few songs that's quite obvious.
The whole thing is about the pov of a mother living during the Dust Bowl days....it's actually one of few songs that's quite obvious.
Actually Viradys.... Since the Dust Bowl days were the 1930's, and television, while commercially availble in the 1930s was prohibitively expensive, I kinda doubt "TV Games" were a widespread item found in stores during this time.... History is a bitch, eh?
Actually Viradys.... Since the Dust Bowl days were the 1930's, and television, while commercially availble in the 1930s was prohibitively expensive, I kinda doubt "TV Games" were a widespread item found in stores during this time.... History is a bitch, eh?
Almost 30 years ago (this album is of 1989) when i was listening this song i found a sentence that sounds so weird and far from my european ears why she say "I'm adding doctor's fees to remedies with the cost of three day's work lost ".
For me it was really strange becouse our welfare cover work days lost for take care of your child and we didn't pay fees for medicines at all.
In the voice of Nathalie you can feel all the drama of that single young mom (i suppose so) but now 30 years later also here we have to pay for medicine (also if is cover for ppl that can't pay) but for sure we loss money for the day of work lost