This Old Town

This old town should've burned down in 1929 That's when we stood in line Waiting for our soup Swallowing our pride This old town should've burn down in 1931 When the rain refused to come Air filled up our bellies, dust filled up our lungs And we thought our time had come This old town was built by hand In the dust bowl of the motherland There must be rock beneath this sand Oh' I'll be damned, this town still stands This old town should've burned down in 1944 When the last men went to war They came back different If they came back at all This old town should've burned down in 1956 That's when the twister hit And all our hopes were buried Beneath the boards and bricks And we almost called it quits This old town was built by hand In the dust bowl of the motherland There must be rock beneath this sand Oh' I'll be damned, this town still stands Somewhere in the distance The city lights do shine The sidewalks gleam with neon dreams That call from time to time When my children's children Ask me why didn't I go They say the heart of any town Is the people that you've known They'll always call you home This old town was built by hand In the dust bowl of the motherland There must be rock beneath this sand Oh I'll be damned, this town still stands