Early to sleep and early to rise
Wiping the sleep from my little one’s eyes
Hit the long rows and cut ‘em down to size
Take it to market and see what it buys

In the hard country
Making a living by the sweat of my brow
Hard country
Looking at the world from the back of a plow

An honest days work for an honest days pay
Honestly you know it ain’t a living wage
Sweating in the sun and praying for rain
Supper and sleep and do it all again

In the hard country
Making a living by the sweat of my brow
Hard country
Looking at the world from the back of a plow

Brother took a job in the county seat
Thought he’d bought a ticket to easy street
Well he got laid off from the factory
Now he’s back on the lower forty with me

In the hard country
Making a living by the sweat of my brow
Hard country
Looking at the world from the back of a plow

So grab your partner and do-se-do
Louisiana hayride’s on the radio
Finally the harvest moon’s aglow
Wouldn’t trade mine for any life I know

In the hard country
Making a living by the sweat of my brow
Hard country
Looking at the world from the back of a plow