Thanks to those of you who follow this page. You've read some of the stories of farmers and their struggles to hold on to their land. Too many stories of land loss. Many want to know those stories. We will have
those as well.
Songs are ways of telling stories. Listen to No More Auction
Blocks by Bob Dylan or Odetta or even Paul Robeson. You can easily find these
and more on youtube.com. Then hum the tune and read these words. They
tell the stories of farmers and their struggles.
The back stories are about sleepless nights, wondering when, feeling the governments' threats, fields not in use, fear of the land being auctioned on the court house steps, land loss and the grief therein, fear of being lynched, feeling lynched (their words, not mine), injustices done in the county office, tax bills in the mail, demand letters in the mail, and the list could go on and on.
There are two lines of interpretation for these words. The optimistic one is that the farmers prevailed and they can now relax a bit. The other view is that the land has been lost and there's nothing that can be done about it. The hearer gets to decide.
No More, No More
(to the tune of No More Auction Blocks,
Odetta, Bob Dylan, others)
No more sleepless nights for me,
No more, no more
No more sleepless nights for me,
Many thousands gone.
No more wonderin’ when for me,
No more, no more
No more wonderin’ when for me,
Many thousands gone.
No more govm’t threats to me,
No more, no more
No more govm’t threats to me,
Many thousands gone.
No more idle fields for me,
No more, no more
No more idle fields for me,
Many thousands gone.
No more courthouse steps for me,
No more, no more
No more courthouse steps for me,
Many thousands gone.
No more land loss tales for me,
No more, no more
No more land loss tales for me,
Many thousands gone.
No more hangin’ from a tree,
No more, no more
No more hangin’ from a tree,
Many thousands gone.
No more empty promises for me,
No more, no more
No more empty promises for me,
Many thousands gone.
No more IRS duns for me,
No more, no more
No more IRS duns for me
Many thousands gone.
No more injustices done to me,
No more, no more
No more injustices done to me,
Many thousands gone.
No more courthouse steps for me,
No more, no more
No more courthouse steps for me,
Many thousands gone.
Copyright Waymon R. Hinson
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