"Now There is a Tree of Ghosts" and individual songs are available at CDBaby.com and 55 authorized digital download sites for as little as 99 cents. Amazon.com sells The General's Daughter soundtrack.
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Boll Weevil
Greg Hale Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
First time I seen the boll weevil,
He's settin' on the square,
Next time I seen him,
Had his family there.
Boll Weevil here
They done ate up all the cotton and the corn,
All but that new gound square
Well the farmer asked the merchant
Uh - for some meat and meal,
"T'aint nothing doing', old man;
Boll weevil's in your field"
Hay-a-ay, boll weevil,
Where is your naitive home?
Way down in the bottom
Among the cotton and corn
Hay-a-ay, boll weevil,
Boll weevil
Next time I seen him, (he's setitn' on thre square)
Had his family there.
Hay-a-ay, boll weevil,
Hay-a-ay, boll weevil,
They done ate up all the cotton and the corn,
Had his family there,
Had his family there.
First time I seen the boll weevil,
He's settin' on the square,
Next time I seen him,
Had his family there.
Boll Weevil here
Boll Weevil everywhere;
They done ate up all the cotton and the corn,
All but that new gound square
Well the farmer asked the merchant
Uh - for some meat and meal,
"T'aint nothing doing', old man;
Boll weevil's in your field"
Hay-a-ay, boll weevil,
Where is your naitive home?
Way down in the bottom
Among the cotton and corn
Among the cotton and corn
Among the cotton and corn
Among the cotton and corn
Background vocals:
Who has a
Who has a meal for me?
Way down in the bottom
Cotton and Corn
Where is your naitive home?
Where is your naitive home?
Where is your naitive home?
Greg Hale Jones's song "Boll Weevil" is a traditional blues song that tells the story of the boll weevil, a small beetle that invaded and destroyed the cotton crops in the Southern United States in the early 1900s. The opening line, "Why ain't you made it home," suggests that there is someone who has not returned to their home, perhaps because of the devastation caused by the boll weevil.
The song describes the boll weevil's devastating impact on the harvest, as it ate up all the cotton and corn, leaving only a new gound square. Despite this, the boll weevil seems to be omnipresent, with the lyrics repeating the phrase "Boll Weevil here/Boll Weevil everywhere." The song also references the animosity between farmers and merchants, with the merchant refusing to provide meat and meal to the farmer, citing the boll weevil's presence in the field.
Overall, "Boll Weevil" is a bluesy lament for the destruction caused by the boll weevil, as well as a commentary on the struggles faced by farmers in the early 1900s.
Line by Line Meaning
Why ain't you made it home
Asking someone why they haven't come home yet
First time I seen the boll weevil, He's settin' on the square, Next time I seen him, Had his family there.
The boll weevil is spotted for the first time sitting on a square and then later it's seen with its family. The song is about how the boll weevil ruined crops.
Boll Weevil here Boll Weevil everywhere; They done ate up all the cotton and the corn, All but that new gound square
The boll weevil has destroyed most of the crops except for a new ground square.
Well the farmer asked the merchant Uh - for some meat and meal, "T'aint nothing doing', old man; Boll weevil's in your field"
The farmer asks the merchant for some meat and meal but the merchant tells him that there's nothing he can do since the boll weevil is in his field.
Hay-a-ay, boll weevil, Where is your naitive home? Way down in the bottom Among the cotton and corn
The song asks the boll weevil where it's from and the answer is 'the bottom,' which is where cotton and corn are grown.
Hay-a-ay, boll weevil, Boll weevil Next time I seen him, (he's setitn' on thre square) Had his family there.
The boll weevil is seen again with its family on the square where it was first spotted.
Hay-a-ay, boll weevil, Hay-a-ay, boll weevil, They done ate up all the cotton and the corn, Had his family there, Had his family there.
The boll weevil has eaten up all the cotton and corn and it's seen with its family again.
Among the cotton and corn Among the cotton and corn Among the cotton and corn
The boll weevil is found among the cotton and corn crops.
Who has a Who has a meal for me? Way down in the bottom Cotton and Corn Where is your naitive home? Where is your naitive home? Where is your naitive home?
The song repeats the question about the boll weevil's native home and asks who has a meal for it, emphasizing its destructive nature.
Contributed by Taylor H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.