Farmer’s Luck

[Verse 1]
Well, my grandma read The Phoenix from the front page to the back
She read the editorials and the farmer's almanac
One day she saw a headline that filled her heart with fear
She said, "Will, they're gonna dam the river and move us outta here"

[Verse 2]
Well, my granddad's name was Will, he was a farmer by his trade
He grew soybeans and a cotton crop for what little living he made
You know, he always paid his taxes and he tried to do what's right
Raised up eight strong children on that little bottom land site

[Chorus]
They gonna dam the Deep Fork River
They're gonna build themselves a lake
They gonna dam the South Canadian
Whatever else it takes
They're gonna bring in here some tourists
They're gonna make themselves a buck
They're gonna dam the Deep Fork River
Damn the farmer's luck

[Verse 3]
Well, my granddad thought it over, the next time he went to town
He went to see the lawyer Milam King, he thought the smartest man around
Milam said, "Will, you can't fight 'em, the result will be the same
"I either sell your land or they'll take it, they call that 'eminent domain'"

[Verse 4]
Then they had their meetin' in Checotah on a hot summer day
There were men there from the government to say what the government had to say
Well, my granddad listened patiently but it was more than he could hear
He said, "Leave our rivers alone, boys, and damn the corps of engineers"

[Chorus]
They gonna dam the Deep Fork River
They're gonna build themselves a lake
They gonna dam the South Canadian
Whatever else it takes
They're gonna bring in here lots of tourists
They're gonna make themselves a buck
They're gonna dam the Deep Fork River
Damn the farmer's luck

[Verse 5]
Well, my granddad had his doubts, but ya know, Milam King was right
You can't fight the risin' waters, you can't fight the government's might
So they packed up their belongings and they moved to higher ground
The water took that bottom land for many miles around

[Verse 6]
When the dams were all completed and the locks were closed up tight
They built a little podium and shot fireworks that night
There were many speeches given and dignitaries all around
Governor Bellmon, Carl Albert, even LBJ came to town

[Chorus]
They gonna dam the Deep Fork River
They're gonna build themselves a lake
They gonna dam the South Canadian
Whatever else it takes
They're gonna bring in here some tourists
They're gonna make themselves a buck
They're gonna dam the Deep Fork River
Damn the farmer's luck

[Verse 7]
Well, you don't know nothin' 'bout farmin' and you don't know nothin' 'bout soil
You live up there in Tulsa and make your livin' off of oil
But you're starved for entertainment, the pressures you can't take
So you load the wife and kids in the RV and you head out to the lake

[Verse 8]
Now kick back in your lawn chair, you got steaks on a propane grill
A hard day of water skiin', another water thrill
But down beneath the surface, a story's longin' to be told
About cotton fields and bottom land and the home place that was sold

[Chorus]
They gonna dam the Deep Fork River
They're gonna build themselves a lake
They gonna dam the South Canadian
Whatever else it takes
They're gonna bring in here some tourists
They're gonna make themselves a buck
They're gonna dam the Deep Fork River
Damn the farmer's luck
They're gonna dam the Deep Fork River
Damn the farmer's luck