The Grapes Of Wrath

It's a town like any other
Sprouted up on claims
Half the stores are empty
Signs still bear the names
We all took a cut in pay
To keep from shutting down
The women made a co-op of
The one cafe in town
It doubles as a bookstore
And a kids' arcade
Some books are missing pages
We don't buy, we trade
On Friday nights the Cleary girls
Who live up on the bluff
Play concertina and guitar
Until we've had enough

Guess we're kind of loco
Those who have remained
Summer nights the northern lights
Still keep us entertained
The school is at Miss Jenkins' house
She teaches every year
Scratch my head and wonder
Just what keeps her here
The bosses of the smelter
Come and go each day
They prefer the city
Forty-seven miles away
They say the grass is greener
But where else would we go
In the end we settle for
The devil that we know

Cold here in the winter
Heating bills are high
If you let it, Christmas time
Can lead a man to cry
The women knit some sweaters
The men all build some toys
Christmas Eve the old cafe's
Alive with girls and boys
We drink and make a party
The sisters play so bad
Miss Jenkins sings in Spanish
Felice Navidad
Then tells us all a story
Enchants by candlelight
The women cry more than the kids
We hug and say good night

It's a town like any other
Sprouted up on claims
Empty stores like open sores
Signs still bear the names
Jill's Bakery, Mock's Shoe Repair
McMillan's pharmacy
The Steinbeck book I'm reading
Came from the library
Checked it out four years ago
Never paid the fine
No way to return it now
The Grapes of Wrath is mine
They say the grass is greener
Where else would we go
We take care of each other here
Let the green grass grow

DL