Harold Wilson
Fred Eaglesmith Lyrics

Harold Wilson is my name, son
Introducing himself as Harold Wilson and inviting the listener to sit and talk with him.

Why don't you sit a spell
Inviting the listener to spend some time in his company.

I live right here on the Fergusson Road
Telling the listener where he resides.

At the Paradise Motel
Giving the name of the place where he lives.

And though you do not know me
Admitting that the listener doesn't know him yet.

There's a story I like to tell
Saying he has a story he would like to share with the listener.

It's a story that I'm sure you know well
Implying that the listener can relate to his story.

I had me a place on Thunder Ridge
Telling the listener about his former residence.

In a doomsday shack
Describing the type of dwelling he used to inhabit.

My wife had left and took the kids
Explaining that his family had left him.

A couple of years back
Giving the timeline for when he was left alone.

And I spent most of my mornings
Describing what he used to do during most of his mornings.

Thinking about that
Specifying what he was thinking about during his mornings.

And my afternoons trying to figure out what to plant
Telling the listener about his activities during his afternoons.

Did you ever try to farm a farm
Asking the listener if they have ever tried farming.

With a pick and a shovel
Saying he tried to farm with basic tools.

Try to put a field into corn
Explaining what he was trying to accomplish while farming.

Just wouldn't grow nothin'
Revealing that he struggled to yield crops from his farming attempts.

Starin' down across the town
Describing his physical perspective while he was contemplating his situation.

You wonder why I even bother
Questioning the listener if they understand why he was still trying to farm.

When up the road there's a vacant room
Pointing to the existence of an available lodging option.

Climate control and colour
Describing the amenities that the available lodging option has.

And you could stay there by the month for a hundred dollars
Explaining how much it costs to stay at the available lodging option.

There wasn't money in corn
Revealing that his farming attempts were financially unsuccessful.

And there wasn't money in beans
Informing the listener that he also tried growing beans with no luck.

They took my telephone, shut off my electricity
Describing some financial hardships he faced.

Then a letter came in the mail
Describing how he received notice from the government.

Saying there's taxes owed by me
Telling the listener what the government requested from him.

If I was ever going to pay
Elaborating on the payment demand from the government.

Well, I had three weeks
Giving him a deadline to make a payment.

Well, they sold that farm to some fool for ten cents on the dollar
Informing the listener that his farm was sold cheaply to someone else.

I saw him out there last week, I was on my way to visit my daughter
Telling the listener what he recently witnessed on his way to see his child.

And that son of a gun was out there
Describing the man who bought his farm.

Trying to hook a windmill up to water
Telling the listener what the new owner was doing on the land.

When he heard me laugh, well, he turned and I swear he hollered
Sharing an interaction he had with the new landowner.

Now the government cheques come down the pike
Describing how he receives money from the government now.

As regular as rain
Describing how frequently he receives government assistance.

And I sit outside most nights
Explaining what he usually does in the evening.

'Cept when the June bugs drive me in
Qualifying his evening activity as depending on the weather.