Out in the country
Greg Brown Lyrics

Out in the country, gravel road a-ramble all around.
I am in a rural area where there are no paved roads and the gravel roads extend in all directions.

And the dust blow up 'til the cool rain tumble down.
The dust is overwhelming until the refreshing rain comes and washes it away.

I'm a redwing blackbird sit singin' on the fence.
I am a redwing blackbird sitting on the fence and singing, although no one seems to be interested or convinced of my message.

Say it's OK all day, but nobody seems convinced.
I am trying to communicate that everything is okay, but no one seems to believe me.

I'm a little old pasture creek; they got no name for me.
I am a small creek running through the pasture, yet no one ever bothers to identify me with a name.

When I grow up, I'm gonna be the Mississippi.
Although I am small now, I aspire to become as significant as the Mississippi River.

I'm a farmer's long shiny car runnin' out of gas.
I am a fancy car owned by a farmer, but even with all my glitter, I am running out of fuel as the modern vehicles keep speeding past me.

And the bikes and the tracks and the mopeds whizzin' past.
As I run out of gas, I am witnessing all kinds of noisy vehicles appearing ever more frequently, such as motorbikes, trains, and mopeds.

I'm a chick-chickie-chicken peckin' in the corn.
I am a chicken wandering around and pecking corn while dealing with some doubts about my own origins.

My mama says I was round when I was born. (But I don't believe that.)
My mother claims that I was born perfectly round, but I am skeptical of this assertion.

I'm a little old raccoon; I got candles in my eyes.
I am a raccoon whose eyes may reflect light as if they were candles, and I have to be careful not to get run over by passing cars.

Stay away from the road or else I might draw flies. (Just lyin' there.)
If I am hit by a car and end up dead along the roadside, it is likely that my remains will attract flies and other unwelcome fauna.

And the farm get bigger and the old home place fall down.
As the years go by, the farmstead expands and the old home place that once seemed so important gradually crumbles and fades away.

I'm a grain elevator white as a china dish.
I am a tall, white grain elevator towering over the surrounding landscape and gleaming in the sunlight.

Tall as a satellite, fat as an old catfish.
I am very tall and as wide as a fish, specifically a catfish, whose huge belly extends to the sides.

I'm a July cornfield far as you can see.
I am a vast cornfield extending as far as the eye can see during the July months.

And if you real careful, you can walk on top of me. (Ah, you got to believe though. Now first you get your one foot up there, And then you gotta get your other foot up there. Easy now...oops, you Didn't believe.)
The artist suggests that the cornfield is so dense that if a person is careful, they might be able to walk on top of it. However, the artist then mocks this claim, indicating that other people find it hard to believe.

I'm a cool farm pond on a day about a hundred and ten.
I am a farm pond, refreshing and cool on an extremely hot day when the temperature rises to about 110 degrees.

I'm cool, I'm round, I'm ready, so come on in.
With the singer's invitation to come in, the farm pond is described as being perfect for swimming in its cool and refreshing water.

I'm a river valley; I used to be a mountain top.
I was once a high mountain. However, over time, gallons of water have flowed through me and worn me down, carving me into a river valley.

Once you go down, brother, it's hard to stop.
It is difficult to halt the natural forces taking over the mountain once it starts to erode and turn into a river valley.

Cool rain tumblin', cool rain tumblin', cool rain tumblin'...
The rain falls down steadily and gently, quelling the dust and making the air fresh and pure.

And a cool rain, and a cool rain, tumblin'...
Once again, the cool and gentle rainfall is emphasized, as it is like a balm to the parched earth.