This Old Town - Lyrics - Nanci Griffith

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 burned 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 Chorus: This old town was built by hand In the dust bowl of the Mother land 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 (Repeat chorus) Bridge: 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 I didn't go They say the heart of any town Is the people that you've known They'll always call you home (Repeat chorus)