My driftin' memory goes back to the spring of '43
When I was just a child in momma's arms
My daddy plowed the ground and prayed someday we would leave
This run-down mortgaged Oklahoma farm
Then one night I heard my daddy sayin' to my momma
That he'd finally saved enough to go
California was his dream, a paradise, for he had seen
Pictures in magazines that told him so
California cotton fields
Where labor camps were filled with weary men with broken dreams
California cotton fields
As close to wealth as daddy ever came
Almost everything we had was sold or left behind
From my daddy's plow to the fruit that momma canned
Some folks came to say farewell or see what all we had to sell
Some just came to shake my daddy's hand
That model A was loaded down and California bound
A change of luck was just four days away
But the only change that I remember seeing for my daddy
Was when his dark hair turned to silver grey
California cotton fields
Where labor camps were filled with weary men with broken dreams
California cotton fields
As close to wealth as daddy ever came
California Cottonfields Lyrics performed by Merle Haggard are property and copyright of the authors, artists and labels. You should note that California Cottonfields Lyrics performed by Merle Haggard is only provided for educational purposes only and if you like the song you should buy the CD