We Don't Grow Tobacco
Cultivating Change: A Tale of Transformation in 'We Don't Grow Tobacco'
Lyrics
Hardest work that ever I done
Expresses the difficulty and labor intensity of the speaker's work.
Been beneath that burning sun
Highlights the challenging conditions endured while working under the scorching sun.
Hauling tobacco around to cure
Describes the hauling and processing of tobacco leaves for curing.
I would chop that wicked weed
Indicates a strenuous effort to eliminate the undesirable plant, tobacco.
Till our hands and fingers bleed
Emphasizes the physical toll taken on the hands and fingers due to exhaustive work.
Working like a mule, maybe more
Implies hard work comparable to that of a mule, suggesting extreme toil.
We been farming on this land
References the long-standing history of farming on the land since the early 1800s.
Since eighteen hundred ten
Highlights enduring various hardships over time, including natural disasters and conflicts.
Through flood, drought, pestilence and war
Reflects on the hardships faced during different challenging periods in history.
Now I sure am sad to say
Expresses sadness at witnessing the end of an era.
That I've lived to see this day
Shows regret for experiencing the decline of a traditional practice.
And we don't grow tobacco around here no more
Declares the cessation of growing tobacco in the area.
We don't grow, we don't grow
Reiterates the fact that tobacco cultivation has ceased.
Oh, it's still the only work we'll ever know
Expresses the continuing association with the only form of work they've known.
We don't grow, we don't grow
Reaffirms the abandonment of tobacco farming in the region.
We don't grow tobacco around here no more
Confirms the absence of tobacco cultivation in the current scenario.
Grandpa told me this, I know
Recalls advice from the grandfather about impending change.
Change is coming, won't be slow
Emphasizes the inevitability and swiftness of change.
Knocking just like a thunder at the door
Compares change to the approach of an unavoidable thunderstorm.
Fallow fields are all around
Describes fields left uncultivated and unproductive.
Empty barns just falling down
Depicts the state of abandoned and dilapidated barns.
With iron weeds coming up through the floor
Illustrates the growth of unwanted weeds inside the neglected barns.
Once we growed it by the pound
Contrasts the past production of tobacco with the current situation.
Now the kids all moved to town
Remarks on the migration of younger generations away from farming.
And all that's left are elderly and poor
Points out that the remaining population consists mostly of elderly and impoverished individuals.
Now I sure am sad to say
Expresses sadness at witnessing the decline of the community.
That I've lived to see this day
Expresses regret for experiencing the demise of a familiar way of life.
And we don't grow tobacco around here no more
Confirms the cessation of tobacco cultivation with a sense of finality.
We don't grow, we don't grow
Reaffirms the absence of tobacco cultivation in the region.
Oh, it's still the only work we'll ever know
Reiterates the continued association with the only form of work they've known.
We don't grow, we don't grow
Confirms the abandonment of tobacco farming in the area.
We don't grow tobacco around here no more
Reiterates the fact that tobacco cultivation has ceased.
Ooh, yes, I sure am sad to say
Expresses deep sorrow at the loss of the traditional way of life.
This way of life has gone away
Reflects on the complete disappearance of the familiar lifestyle.
Now that we don't grow tobacco around here no more
Emphasizes the finality of the situation—tobacco cultivation is no longer practiced.
Well, no, we don't grow tobacco around here no more
Confirms the absence of tobacco cultivation in the region with certainty.
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