And this is dustbowl country
The legacy of Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams
It ain’t Oklahoma, but it could be
Here in the San Joaquin
And Kelly is up earlier than he ought to be
Picking up beer cans and bottles thrown on the ground by the young
And inconsiderate
Wearing his Grandpa’s magic hat
That perfect fedora
The one Kelly wouldn’t trade for the contents of a bank vault
On the day before payday
And Kelly’s hurtin’
Just out of the hospital where he probably ought to still be
But he’s not complaining about the pain
Because Kelly is his brothers keeper
Busy making this festival perfect
Carrying the load
Doing what needs to be done
As he always does
And I crawl out of my van and stumble over to Java Joes
Looking for a cup of the elixir of life
Looking at the new sun shining through the dewdrops on the leaves
Of those oak trees
And I’m thinking…
Thinking about what was and what is no more
Except in a few places like this
And I met Jimmy here
Looking like a brother from another mother
Singing those same gospel songs that I sing
Looking like a big old hairy bear
Belting it out
Making us all smile
And it felt like church
Until he started singing those murder ballads
And it’s hot and humid
Hot like a cotton field
Hot like the 4th of July
And there amidst the oak trees surrounding the stage
It looks like the 4th of July
Red White and blue Bunting
A big old flag
Old glory flying
Just like before we sold our birthright
For a mess of pottage
And Mildred and Sam are giving it one last hoorah
Building up groundspeed for the final take off
Singing with all heart
Knowing they’ve had a good run
That they’ve made life better for others
By the music they made
And now they leave the stage to others
To a groundswell of sustained applause
And Norman Rockwell could have painted this
Those lights around the oak trees under the canopy of night
The Central valley boys in Their Red Cowboy suits
Playing like 1961 at the grange hall
When love was young
And who needed money anyway
And Marcos is walking around looking half dead
Allergies and sinuses and lack of sleep taking their toll on his body
But he shakes it off because he’s made of strong stuff
And there’s magic in the air
And he knows this place
And he knows these people
And this is home, man
This is the real deal
This is America
As I remember it
Sure feels good
